


Story VII: On the Loose

by seerstella



Series: Eternalizing the Moon: Daisuke's Story [7]
Category: Japanese Actor RPF, Takumi-kun Series
Genre: Alternate Universe - Vampire, Character Death, Fight Scenes, M/M, Puns and References
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-17
Updated: 2018-08-21
Packaged: 2019-04-03 18:05:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 24
Words: 39,131
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/14001627
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/seerstella/pseuds/seerstella
Summary: In which Daisuke reveals more truth about himself and his surroundings.





	1. What?

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer: I own nothing but the story. No offense intended to the real people written here.
> 
> A/N: Seventh installment! Whoa! What will we have here? We shall see…  
> This takes time half a year after the last one. So it’s around seven years since Story III.
> 
> Sorry this takes so long. I've been quite busy juggling between my two jobs and family business. Ah, anyway. Enjoy!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke reacts 'what?' in the span of hours.

.

.

.

Daisuke wasn’t someone who watched news regularly. Doori, apparently, was, and it was among the things he did when he came to Daisuke’s house one night, three months after Daisuke spilled his past to his assistant. It was a novelty, for Doori almost never visited his apartment and they weren’t really close. “Doori-kun? It's already late. What are you doing here?”

“Kei-chan’s out of town and I’m bored.” It was the answer he got. “I’m not bothering you or anything, am I?”

To be honest, he actually did, since Daisuke was enjoying his me-time. After a long day of being social to various people, quietness was all Daisuke crave for in the evenings at home. But the vampire had no heart to reject the younger man, especially when he looked at him like a lost puppy. “Well, you’re here, aren’t you? Come in.”

The former Echizen walked in and put his backpack on the sofa. “Thanks a lot, Dai-chan. I bring snacks and movies in case you want to watch them. Have you had dinner? I’ll treat you to a pizza if you want to. It’s the least I can do, after all.”

“Please do,” Daisuke replied, taking a glass of retail blood from his usual stash. “I’m good with anything.”

And so, Doori ordered pizza and they spent the night watching movies together. The young man didn’t ask about Daisuke’s donor this time, and for that Daisuke was grateful. He was in no mood to be interrogated about something he didn’t really want to have.

“You can crash here, if you want to,” Daisuke offered, when the human started to doze off. “Ryouma likes to do that when he comes over in the middle of the night.”

“Thanks, Dai-chan,” Doori said sleepily, and then yawned. Daisuke positioned him so he was lying down on the couch and threw blankets—some of them were Vampire-Wannabe’s, used whenever he crashed in his house—on him. “Still don’t wanna sleep yet, though. Dai-chan, can I let the TV on?”

Daisuke pretended not to hear and left to the kitchen. When he was back in the living room, Doori had returned into a sitting position. Rather stiffly, in fact, and he was watching the news. Apparently it just happened, judging from the words _BREAKING NEWS_ written at the bottom of the screen. “What’s in there?” he asked curiously. "Something happened?"

Doori didn’t even look at him. His vision stayed at the screen. “Dunno. Midnight breaking news. I always like the news. Hm. Looks like homicide.” Something resembled a smile crossed his lips. “What do we have here…” he muttered to himself. They spoke no more, letting the news anchor’s voice filling the room.

_A body of a young man, most probably in his twenties, is found a few meters from Shibuya Station. According to the police’s statement, he has been murdered, and his body has lost a considerable amount of blood, which gives an impression of being sucked dry…_

Daisuke, who’d intended to go to sleep after leaving Doori on the couch, stopped. _What?_

* * *

“I have good news!”

Daisuke, who’d just finished washing his face—damn that breaking news for sending him to another insomniac night—closed the door that led into the meeting room. Kinoshita and Kyousuke were already there, and Daisuke’s manager was the one who said the words earlier. He also looked like the sky had rained golden on him… wait, had that happened before?

“What is it?” Daisuke asked, feigning interest while all he wanted was to curl on his bed and sleep until midnight like a jetlagged tourist.

“We’ve finally managed to organize an outing!”

The actor clamped his mouth shut to prevent a yawn from escaping. “Come again?”

“A Special Fan-Outing with Daisuke Watanabe,” Kinoshita announced the title. “How does it sound? I can see girls going berserk with the opportunity of spending _a whole day_ with their beloved idol!”

Oh.

Oh!

Daisuke woke up completely, all traces of sleepiness disappeared. “Whoa, whoa, hold your horses. Please explain what you have in mind, Kinoshita-san.”

And so Kinoshita began to babble. He’d discussed the essential things with the management and arranged a date when fans could go with Daisuke for a whole day. All the actor had to do was to smile and humor them and make them happy. It wasn’t that Daisuke didn’t like his fans; they were extremely important to him, so he accepted that part without question.

However, the end of the short meeting was the one that shocked him.

“I think it’s better for me to entrust this big project to someone who’s been with us for a while. I know, and believe, that he will do a good job. Daisuke-san, the one who has full responsibility of this outing is Hamao-kun!”

Daisuke spluttered and Kyousuke smiled widely, looking exactly like Kinoshita had been earlier. He stood and bowed deeply to both Kinoshita and Daisuke. “Thank you for entrusting this project to me, Kinoshita-san. It’s my first time doing a project as a leader who has full responsibility, and I promise I’ll do my best to organize such an event.”

“I know you will.” They shook hands. “I have to go now. Good luck, kid. You know where to contact me if needed.”

With that, Kinoshita took a brisk leave. After he was gone, Daisuke turned at his assistant.

“Good luck,” he said warmly, wondering what kind of outing Kyousuke had in mind.

Kyousuke beamed and bowed deeply. “Thank you, Dai-chan. Please take care of me.”

“Aren’t I always?”

They laughed for a while, before Kyousuke spoke up again. His tone was serious. “Dai-chan, as the project officer, I should say this. You’re free to come to me if you have any suggestions and ideas, and we should discuss it together. I intend to make this event as comfortable for you as possible since you’re the host. It’ll be better if you cooperate and tell me whatever pleases you so I can take them into consideration.”

“Stop right there, Mao-kun,” Daisuke teased. “All high and mighty now, are you not?”

Blush spread on Kyousuke’s cheeks and he blinked several times, showing how nervous he was. “I’m not!” he protested. “But I have to take this seriously. It’s—”

“I know you have to, and I think you’re doing a good start,” Daisuke interrupted before Kyousuke could speak more. He placed his hands on his thin shoulders and squeezed them. “You’re also welcome to talk to me about what you think is best for the outing. I really look forward to hear from you.”

Kyousuke smiled. “Alright, Dai-chan. Thank you so much for the opportunity. I’ll work hard for it.”

And Daisuke was tempted— _so hard_ , mind you—to pinch those cheeks because sometimes— _sometimes!_ —his assistant was too cute.

Wait, _what_?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How is this as a start? Unlike the last multichapter Stories in this series, I haven’t written anything much in this one, so reviews are much appreciated! They’ll fire me up to keep writing ^^


	2. What? (2)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First comes love, then comes... what?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was almost done earlier today.  
> At first I intended to post this on March 26, which is the day when I get older.  
> But then came great news regarding sd4ianto and I decide to finish and post this as a form of celebration. Yay!
> 
> I hope you enjoy!

“What an awesome plan, that outing! I really need a cute, hardworking assistant right now,” Vampire-Wannabe said as he fixed his hair. Daisuke grinned from behind him before messing up that hair just to spite him. What he did reached his desirable effect as his friend shrieked in surprise and annoyance. “Dai-chan! Stop that, dammit! I don’t want to fix this for the fifth time! Seriously, leave me alone, will you?”

“Naito-kun will kill you if you tell him that. The assistant thing, I mean.”

“Why should he?” Minami piped up from his seat nearby. The taping of Triple Zone would start in an hour, and they were preparing themselves. “He always denies his relationship with Baba-chan, right? Maybe he’s telling the truth all along, and what we think of them is a lie. Maybe we’re the ones who are delusional, and nothing actually goes between these two.”

Daisuke rolled his eyes. “Do you hear that, Ryouma? Kei-chan thinks your relationship with Naito-kun isn’t true.”

“No comment.” Vampire-Wannabe pushed Daisuke away before he had more chance to ruin his hair. “And go away, Dai-chan. Find a hobby or something.”

“Mao-kun isn’t here, Baba-chan. You should understand that the kid _is_ Dai-chan’s hobby.” Daisuke turned sharply to glare at Minami, who shrugged nonchalantly. “What? I’m right, aren’t I? Especially with this event he’s organizing, you two surely will get closer. Tell me, Dai-chan, has he come to you for discussions?”

 _He does that almost every day_. “Sometimes.”

Vampire-Wannabe suddenly stood and swung his index finger in front of Daisuke’s face. The grin in his face made Daisuke wanted to kick him. “Tut, tut. Liar, liar, Dai-chan is a liar.”

“Shut it, Ryouma.” But heck, was it hard to fight the blush spreading on his cheeks.

It had the opposite effect. As Vampire-Wannabe jumped up and down while singing about ‘ _Dai-chan and Mao-kun sitting in the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!_ ’, Daisuke covered his face with his palm and hoped nobody could hear that silly horse from the outside. Minami placed his hand on his shoulder and Daisuke looked up.

“Whether you like Mao-kun or not, both of us will always support you.”

Vampire-Wannabe stopped singing that ridiculous song and stared at him seriously. His ability to change expressions in an extreme level never failed to amaze Daisuke. He was indeed a brilliant actor, despite his weird sense of humor. “He’s right, Dai-chan. If he dares to hurt you, I’ll hunt him down and break his bones.”

Daisuke smiled, warmth spread in his insides. “Thank you, guys. Really appreciate it.”

“No problem.” A grin suddenly spread on Vampire-Wannabe’s face. “But I still think you two should get a room!” With that, he hurriedly left, obviously afraid to be chased after, continuing the previous song. “ _First comes love, then comes marriage!_ ”

Daisuke groaned tiredly.

“There’s no stopping him, right?” Minami asked. It was obvious that he was trying not to laugh.

“Laugh it up, Kei-chan. There’s _no_ stopping Ryouma, indeed.”

Minami did what he was told. Daisuke hid his face in his hands, Kyousuke’s smile and shy laugh filling his mind. Outside, Vampire-Wannabe had restarted the song; his voice was loud enough to reach the changing room.

“ _Dai-chan and Mao-kun sitting in the tree, k-i-s-s-i-n-g!_ ” 

* * *

 

Even though Minami had returned, Doori still visited Daisuke a day after the latest Triple Zone. This time, it wasn’t out of boredom, despite the fact that he also brought dinner and movies with him.

“Sorry for not calling you first, but I need to tell you something.”

Confused, Daisuke let him in and watched him as he sat on the couch. “What’s going on, Doori-kun? Minami’s back home already, right?”

“Yes, but that’s not why I’m here. There’s been another murder, Dai-chan.”

Daisuke froze. “Who?”

As an answer, Doori handed him a piece of paper. It was cut from the newspaper, dated yesterday. The first thing Daisuke saw was a picture of a young man, probably around Doori’s age. Daisuke read the news surrounding it, telling him that the man had been found lying on a ditch. Just like the man he’d seen on TV, this one had his blood drained as well.

“This is terrible,” Daisuke finally spoke up, returning the paper.

“Yes. But look at the photo, Dai-chan. And this one.” Doori handed him another photo, along with the one of the first victim. “Look at them. Look carefully.”

Daisuke stared at the pictures, and cursed under his breath.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song BabaRyo sings is a children song. I first saw it on deviantART about Draco Malfoy and Harry Potter.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	3. Project

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The next Triple Zone, Daisuke considers, is Minami’s night.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> March 26! Yay!  
> Here is something to share my good mood. I'm getting older, should I celebrate that? XD
> 
> Someone's making an appearance here, which is why I separate this from Chapter 2. Enjoy!

The next Triple Zone, Daisuke considered, was Minami’s night. It was because his co-star in Tenimyu was the guest. Daisuke barely remembered the guy, and apparently he was the only one since Vampire-Wannabe mentioned about him being in the same TV series a few years back. He wrecked his mind and finally remembered seeing him in one of Vampire-Wannabe’s rehearsals as Tezuka, when Minami brought over his own Seigaku and ended up sniffing Naito’s nape.

That was the only memory he had of this guy. He seemed nice, though, therefore Daisuke didn’t mind having another good memory about him.

“Dai-chan, you’ve met Takki, right?” Minami asked, gesturing for the guest to sit on the nearest chair in the dressing room. “He was my Oishi, Seto-kun’s Golden Pair partner. I know it’s been years, but I think you two have met in the Halloween party.”

Oh, right.

They introduced themselves, and their talkative nature resulted in a long, fun conversation that made them sound like old friends. Daisuke found some new things about this guest, with one fact that stood out. Along with his acting career, Takki—real name: Yukihiro Takiguchi, ‘three years’ his junior—was a certified chef.

“Ryouma, you should live with this guy,” Daisuke joked, turning to look at his friend. “Then you’ll stop looking like a flagpole.”

“Shut up. I can cook, you know.”

They laughed instead, and Vampire-Wannabe joined in. Despite everything, he’d never got angry whenever someone joked about his bony form. Daisuke sometimes wondered why Vampire-Wannabe was so thin. Maybe it was his genes, since he always ate like someone who’d never eaten for weeks. Daisuke and Naito knew that all too well.

“What’s your current project, Takki?” Daisuke asked casually. Even though he could save that for on-air episode, he could use some more light conversation topic. “You can tell us when we’ve started, but it’s good to have some heads-up so it’s easier to talk about it in front of the camera. Your pick.”

“Now is fine with me. That’s why I’m here too, right? To promote what I’m currently doing.” Takki paused. “Well… where should I start? I’m filming a TV series right now, Dai-chan, along with some stage performances with my acting troupe. But in the meantime, I’m thinking of continuing an old project, a musical. It’s kinda hard, but I don’t wanna give it up.”

“Sounds great,” Vampire-Wannabe commented from behind Daisuke’s chair. “What’s stopping you?”

Takki looked thoughtful for a moment. “Resources. I mean… people to work with. I don’t know where the old ones are, but I don’t think this project interests them anymore. So… let’s say that it seems like I’m the only one who’s determined to get this back again. Well, it’s still a thought, but there’s no harm in trying, right?”

“Wanna tell us about it?” Vampire-Wannabe coaxed.

“Mm… not yet. It’s some kind of a… secret. I don’t want to ruin anything before I get the right people to work with. You guys don’t mind, right?”

“Of course,” Minami spoke up. “And remember, we’ll always be friends. You can ask us if you need something, and we’ll do our best to help you.”

Takki smiled widely. “Thank you, Buchou. I know I can count on you.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> 'The same TV series a few years back' between Baba and Takki is actually Tokyo Ghost Trip. I lowkey ship them there XD  
> Short, I know, but I cannot seem to write much. I just want to introduce Takki to this mess--uh, I mean fic. He deserves a sole chapter.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! Let’s hope that I can write something longer next ^^


	4. Silver Coins and Protetcive Insticts

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Project Officer Hamao needs to leave.  
> Patron-Actor Watanabe does not take that well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I finished my first writing commission! Yay!  
> To make up for the short chapters earlier, I managed to write something longer. Enjoy!

At some point in his life, Daisuke realized how deep his protectiveness was towards his assistant. He could blame it to Doori’s visit and his tiredness and his busy schedule, but he knew nobody would believe him. Truth be told, he _himself_ wouldn’t believe it. He remembered his promise to Doori, spoken almost seven years ago, about protecting someone who matched his donor criteria… at all costs.

It’d actually begun as a normal day. Daisuke met his assistant before rehearsal and discussed a bit about the outing. Kyousuke worked fast; he’d succeeded in booking a hotel on the top of a hill for their venue and intended to spread the news as soon as possible. It was when the vampire was having his lunch when Kyousuke broke the news for him.

“Dai-chan, will you be okay if I leave for a few hours?”

“Huh?” The chopsticks Daisuke was holding stopped at the middle of their duty. “Why?”

“I’m going to see the outing venue. I need to arrange the places with our schedule, so things will be great in the D-Day. Won’t take long, and I’ll be back before—”

“No.”

Kyousuke dropped his chopsticks. “What?”

“You can’t go! I’m coming with you!” Those words jumped out Daisuke’s mouth before he could stop it.

“But, Dai-chan, your performance is in two days. You can’t just skip rehearsals in times like this.”

“No, I’m coming with you!”

His assistant was watching him as if he had three heads. “Dai-chan, be reasonable. I’ll be okay, don’t worry. You believe in my abilities, right? Let me do this.”

When Kyousuke stood, Daisuke did as well. “Let me go, Dai-chan! You’re being weird!”

“I’m not weird! I just want you to be safe!” Right after the words left his mouth, Daisuke realized that he was grabbing Kyousuke’s wrist like some kind of possessive boyfriend in a cliché romance movie. He didn’t let go, though, because his fear of Kyousuke being in danger was increasing.

“Let me go, Dai-chan!” Kyousuke repeated. “I don’t want to miss the train!”

“No! I’m coming with you—ARGH!”

What happened after was quick. Kyousuke had moved and stuck something on Daisuke’s cheek, making him shriek in pain and release his grip on his wrist. The vampire staggered backwards, burning pain searing on the side of his face. He hit the wall behind him and landed on the floor, the pain still remained. 

The younger man looked apologetic; his shadow fell over Daisuke’s slumped form. Well, that was an understatement. He looked more like he was in the verge of tears. “I’m so sorry, Dai-chan! But I really need to go! I’ll be back in a few hours, so don’t worry!”

With that, he was gone. Daisuke cursed loudly from his spot on the floor, while the silver coin Kyousuke had etched on his face spun nearby before fell on its side with a small sound.

* * *

Kyousuke, as a good assistant, kept his word.

The young man was already there when Daisuke finished today’s rehearsal, even with the fact that it was two and a half hour train ride from the venue. A quick glance at him was enough to show Daisuke that he actually didn’t want to be there. Despite everything, uneasiness crept inside the vampire. If only he weren’t too pushy, he wouldn’t have gotten silver etched on his face like Vampire-Wannabe had done to their attackers years ago.

Speaking about their attackers, now Daisuke knew how painful it was to have silver glued to your face. No wonder those vampires had been screaming back then. At that random thought, Daisuke shook his head, trying to get himself back on track. Still, he’d acted on sense of protectiveness, and Daisuke was determined to get his assistant to know that. He was protecting him, and if Kyousuke knew that, his work would be much easier.

When Kyousuke was able to catch him alone in the dressing room, apologies streamed freely from his lips. It reminded Daisuke of Vampire-Wannabe whenever he wronged him. Damn, they could be very similar sometimes. “Dai-chan, I’m so sorry for what I did this afternoon.” It was the main point of all the words he’d spoken before the vampire.

Daisuke merely looked up from his seat and rubbed his cheek—the one Kyousuke had stuck the silver coin on—making his assistant flinch. “Just sit down first, Mao-kun. You’re making me dizzy, painful enough as it is today.”

Kyousuke looked down at his feet in shame, but obliged and sat before him.

“What you did was… agonizing,” Daisuke began.

“I know. I have no excuse. I’m sorry.”

“One more ‘sorry’ and you sound totally like Ryouma when he makes a mistake.”

“Is that a bad thing?”

“You don’t say?”

“I’m sorry—oh.” Kyousuke scratched his head, looking sheepish. “Uh… but I really am, Dai-chan. I shouldn’t have done that. Does it still hurt?”

Daisuke patted his own cheek. The pain was still there, even though it’d subsided almost completely. But there was no way he would let it show, especially when he saw Kyousuke flinching again. He didn’t want to worry the young man more than he already had. “No. Just don’t do that again, Mao-kun. I just wanted to protect you, that’s all.”

“Thank you for that.” Daisuke swore he saw blush creeping on his assistant’s cheeks. “May I ask why? You never acted like that before.”

“I’ve always been protective, Mao-kun. It’s in my nature.” _My friends know that, and most of them have experienced that firsthand, but you are my top priority_.

Kyousuke’s voice dropped to a whisper. “Because you’re the older vampire?”

“Now, now, will you stop mentioning how old I am?” Daisuke asked good-naturedly. At his remark, Kyousuke looked unsure whether he should laugh or be offended, so Daisuke smiled to lighten the mood. “Maybe that’s why, but who knows. You have this air, Mao-kun, which makes people want to protect you. I’m just drawn to you. Perhaps we’re destined to meet, who knows, right?”

_That’s a convenient excuse. He doesn’t know that the boy I saved cursed the fate, and he doesn’t need to._

“Oh.” A strange glint crossed Kyousuke’s eyes, something Daisuke had never seen before. But then he blinked and was back to the normal assistant mode. “Thank you, Dai-chan. But I’m fine. I shouldn’t have bothered you for long, especially when you’re going to perform in a couple of days.”

“Don’t worry about it. Looking after you and performing are two different things that I can always handle.”

Kyousuke laughed. “Shouldn’t it be the other way around? I’m your assistant, after all. _I_ should be the one fussing over you.”

“And you’re doing a good job on it.”

“Thank you, Dai-chan.” The laugh stopped and was replaced by a sheepish smile.

Daisuke decided to change the topic before he could speak something silly and got his own cheeks as red as tomatoes. “How was that place? For our outing, I mean.”

And so, Kyousuke began to enthusiastically ramble about the outing venue he’d gone to. He told Daisuke about certain places that were suitable for their schedule, the ones Daisuke could show to the fans, and how they would put the decorations on several spots in the venue. Daisuke listened to him intently, determined not to lose anything he was saying.

“Oh, Dai-chan,” Kyousuke spoke at one point. “I’m planning to take you out—”

 

_—on a date?_

_Wait._

_That sounds wrong._

 

“—there for another venue survey. I think you should see it first because you’ll be the one leading this event, not me. You should know where you can do this and that with your fans when the day comes.”

_Of course not. Silly you, Daisuke._

“I’d be glad to.”

A cheeky grin crossed Kyousuke’s lips. “If you come, you won’t need to worry about me. And so I won’t stick any silver on you.”

Daisuke snorted, they laughed, and the night ended up in a much better terms. For today, Daisuke shoved the newspaper pictures to the farthest side of his mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh. What's going on?
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^  
> If any of you has an AO3 account, feel free to subscribe to this Story (or the series in general). That'll be easier for you to know when I'm updating. Have a nice day, y'all!


	5. Second Venue Survey

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> And so, the second venue survey comes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Is anybody still reading this? I wonder...
> 
> Anyway, I got another writing commission job, so I think I better write this down before I get swept up by that work. I love getting paid to do things I am passionate about. :D
> 
> Enjoy!

And so, the day of the second venue survey came. It was a week after Daisuke finished his performance, and he requested for two days off to Kinoshita without Kyousuke knowing. He didn’t want his assistant to worry about his missed rehearsals when he should have been focusing on preparing for the big day.

“Mao-kun doesn’t have to know,” Daisuke had repeated for the third time. “He thinks I have no rehearsals tomorrow, and I’d like to keep it that way. Sometimes he's such a worrywart. So…” He’d stopped speaking. Kinoshita had eyed him with a peculiar twinkle on his eyes, something that eerily reminded Daisuke to Vampire-Wannabe for some reason. “What is it, Kinoshita-san?”

“Nothing,” Kinoshita had answered. “I just hope you two have fun together.”

“What are you implying?”

“What makes you think that I’m implying something?”

Daisuke had left it at that, because Kyousuke had entered the room to tell that they needed to leave soon or they’d miss the train. The vampire had bid his farewell to his manager and left with his assistant to the nearest train station. Despite that, the unanswered question still nagged in his mind.

“So, Mao-kun,” he said after a few minutes in the moving train. Kyousuke sat next to him, and the emptiness of the train made him had no reason to sit closer to him. _What a pity_ , Daisuke thought, before mentally slapping himself. “What are your plans for transportation?” he inquired, just to keep his mind back on track.

Kyousuke smiled confidently and pulled out a book from the bag he was holding. It was obvious that he had all of the event preparation under control. “Around sixty people have registered, and I’m thinking of using a bus. Two, perhaps. You can record messages before the trip begins, so we can play them when they come and leave. It’ll make a more lasting impression on them.”

“What kind of messages?”

“Uh…” For once, confidence left Kyousuke’s expression. It was cute to see him change drastically like that. Daisuke mentally slapped himself once again. “That’s what I want to talk to you about, Dai-chan. I’m suggesting you being a virtual tour guide to them, telling about this place or that street. If you agree to this, I’ll give you the complete route and general descriptions about the important places we’ll be passing.”

“That sounds like a good idea.”

Kyousuke looked significantly happier at Daisuke’s remark. “You can add anything else. Words of support, magic tricks, jokes, anything. As long as you discussed it with me first, that is. I don’t want to have a heart attack when I see you doing weird things on the screen.”

“Wait. Does that mean you’ll be in one of the buses?”

“I think so, yeah.”

“And where will I be?”

“In the car, Dai-chan, with Kinoshita-san. I have to be with the staffs to make sure things are okay.”

“Why don’t you get in the car with me instead? The staffs can do well themselves, as long as you’ve given them proper briefing.” Kyousuke obviously wanted to object, but Daisuke switched to a begging mode. Long hours in a car with his assistant were definitely something Daisuke would look forward to.  “Come oooon, Mao-kuuuuun…”

“Shush, Dai-chan, you’re making a scene,” he chided gently, even though nobody was close enough to hear them. “Alright, alright. I’ll see what I can do.”

Daisuke cheered in his head. “So, anything else you wanna tell me about transportation plans?”

Kyousuke was back on track almost immediately. “You have anything else in mind for the message recording?”

* * *

Their conversation didn’t end even though they’d arrived in their destination.

After the train ride, Kyousuke hailed a cab and they went through a fifteen-minute trip into a villa with huge yard. It looked like a Western hotel, standing alone on the top of the hill. Even though it looked nothing like it, Daisuke was reminded to a certain guesthouse complex they had attacked almost seven years ago. He unconsciously slid closer to his assistant as they made their way inside.

The woman behind the reception desk—lucky them, for Daisuke didn’t want to remember Mizuki and Naito’s bomb—who had waited for them merely nodded when Kyousuke confirmed their identity. She was curt and businesslike, unlike most of Daisuke’s fangirls who would _backflip_ when they heard his name being said. Well, maybe she didn’t know who he was, and that was good.

“Come on, Dai-chan. Let’s get started.”

And so they did. Kyousuke began with a tour around the place, while pointing out what they were going to do. He also listed the exact duration needed for each activity and everything Daisuke could do to give his fans a good time. It was a good schedule, with Kyousuke had thought about everything, including the small details.

Daisuke himself took notice in everything his assistant said, and asked questions in some parts ( _“So I have to host a barbeque party in this yard?” “Yes, Dai-chan.” “Will you join me while we’re eating?” “_ **No** _, Dai-chan.” “Who’ll help me in asking questions fans have sent?” “I’ve asked Kinoshita-san for a MC.” “Why don’t_ you _do that instead?” “For the tenth time, Dai-chan, I’m not supposed to be in front!” “Too bad.” “Now please, Dai-chan, quit looking at me like that, will you?”_ ) to make things clearer for himself.

“Alright,” Kyousuke spoke almost an hour later, sighing in relief. “I think that’s it. We’re done.”

“You look tired,” Daisuke commented. Despite that, he himself felt a bit lightheaded. The sun was unforgiving, and vampires weren’t good with that in the first place. “You should rest.”

“Nah, we should go home now.”

“Nonsense.” All Daisuke wanted was to sit down and take a nap, but there was no way he would tell Kyousuke that _he_ was the one needing the rest. He was glad to go with his assistant, and he was determined not to ruin that.

“Dai- _chan_.” Uh-oh. Kyousuke was using that warning tone again. Daisuke stepped back, in case his assistant was going to etch another silver coin on his face. But before Kyousuke could protest, his legs gave up and if not for Daisuke standing nearby, he would’ve collided with the warm grass beneath.

“How much sleep did you get last night, Mao-kun?”

“I can stand, Dai-chan.”

“Yes, you can, and no, you can’t go home now.”

“But—”

Daisuke merely stared at him, ignoring how the heat made his head pound.

After a while of staring contest, Kyousuke relented with a huff. Daisuke felt a tinge of triumph as the young man wiped his sweaty brow and spoke up. “Okay, okay. Please stop looking at me like that, Dai-chan. We’ll stay. But if we can’t book rooms here, I’m calling Kinoshita-san. We should get you home before it’s too late so you can take an early rest _at home_. I’m sure the sun’s making you ill.”

“Stop treating me like a baby.”

“Dai-chan, if you return there looking like paler than a ghost, not only Kinoshita-san will wring my neck.” Kyousuke pulled out his phone and turned on the front camera. “When you told me that vampires are weak to the sun, it’s been in my priority. We’ve been outdoors since a few hours ago, and look at yourself.”

Daisuke relented, mostly because the dizziness returned in full force. He wanted to stay with Kyousuke, but he didn’t want to spend all of that time sleeping. “We both need rest. I’ll talk to the receptionist and that’s final.”

With that, he left his assistant in the yard.

No, it was _not_ because he was desperate to be protected from the sun.

* * *

Kyousuke insisted on renting two separate rooms and paid one of them by his own money, despite Daisuke’s loud protest. But this time, Kyousuke wouldn’t have any of it, and hurriedly contacted Kinoshita for sending some clothes. Daisuke suspected his assistant spoke a long time on the telephone just to avoid another lecture from him.

Well, two could play this game.

Careful so nobody could find out, Daisuke texted his manager to bring some clothes for Kyousuke as well. He also asked Kinoshita not to tell his assistant because damn it, that guy could be very selfless sometimes. He knew that Kyousuke put his needs on the top priority, but it wasn’t like he couldn’t do the same to him.

All in all, it was a win-win solution. Daisuke managed to spend a day with his assistant (now that he was no longer under the direct attack of the sun, he felt considerably better), and Kyousuke could get his rest (despite the fact that he used most of it worrying over Daisuke’s sudden change of schedule). The vampire didn’t know how much his assistant needed that until the receptionist—the cold woman—asked to speak with him.

“Watanabe-san, may I have a word with you?” At Daisuke’s consent, she looked at Kyousuke—still connected to Daisuke’s manager back in the city—and to one of the hotel workers who’d appeared from the back. “Megumi, would you be a help and take Hamao-san to his room? Don’t forget to give Watanabe-san’s keys to him as well.”

The girl nodded and left with Kyousuke upstairs, towards their rooms, leaving Daisuke alone with that woman.

“You did the right thing, Watanabe-san,” she said when nobody else was nearby.

“Excuse me?”

“I talked to Hamao-san for hours yesterday, even past midnight, perfecting the details you have to see today. He couldn’t sleep because he wanted this day to be perfect for you. I hope he’s not worried anymore after all of this is done.”

“I hope so. I really enjoyed what we did today. He’ll make an excellent event organizer.” Daisuke smiled sheepishly at her. “He shouldn’t have worried, though. I’ve informed my manager to clear my schedule for today, so we can stay here tonight. And before you ask… Mao-kun doesn’t know, because he won’t have me skipping rehearsals.”

“You should tell him. He’s working hard for this outing.”

“Don’t worry, I will. I’m really lucky to have him as my assistant.”

A ghost of smile crossed her lips. “Alright. Now that it’s settled, let me tell you the standard procedure I have to tell the guests.” She was back to her businesslike persona as she informed Daisuke about almost everything, such as dinner hours, food menus, and some good stargazing spots around the hotel, since it was one of the place’s plus points. Daisuke listened intently; maybe he would need it in case he went through another sleepless night.

“Now,” she spoke in finality. “I wish you and Hamao-san a good stay.”

“Thank you.” Daisuke was going towards the stairs when she called his name. “Yeah?”

She was smiling brightly now. It was so weird on her that Daisuke was slightly frightened. “Professionalism aside, now!” she exclaimed in a high-pitched tone. “I’m actually a big fan of yours, Watanabe-san! Can I have your autograph?”

“Whoa, whoa.” Daisuke slowly approached her, still a bit caught off-guard at her sudden change of behavior. But then an idea popped in his mind. “I will, but there’s something you need to do first.”

“What is it?”

The vampire pulled out his wallet and slid his credit card on the table towards her. “Mao-kun shouldn’t know about this.”

Her smile widened in understanding as she took it. “Only if I can take a pic with you.”

“Deal.”

* * *

A few hours after they booked the rooms, their spare clothes came, bought by one of Kinoshita’s subordinates. A concerned Kyousuke visited Daisuke’s room with a familiar bag in his hands, which alarmed him.

“I’m sure there’s a mistake.”

“What?”

“Why are there some clothes that aren’t your size?” Kyousuke put the bag down and spilled the insides on Daisuke’s bed. “These ones are too small for you! I should call Kinoshita-san; there must’ve been some mistake here.”

Daisuke’s struggle for not laughing was _real_. He was literally shaking on the effort. “Take it, then, Mao-kun. I won’t have anything go to waste, not if I can help it.”

“I can’t just—” Kyousuke stopped his own words. He narrowed his eyes in suspicion and spoke his next words in a slower pace. “Dai- _chan_ , did you have something to do with _this_?”

Daisuke couldn’t hold it anymore. Kyousuke’s train of protest was drowned by the voice of his own laughter. It was so funny that the vampire found himself doubling over and sliding down the wall. He was now sitting on the floor, holding his stomach while Kyousuke half-yelled his disapproval because the situation was both amusing and endearing.

“Dai-chan!” Kyousuke finally managed to stop Daisuke’s near-lunatic glee by gripping his shoulders. It was obvious that he was trying not to shake them in exasperation. “It’s not funny! I don’t ask anything for myself!”

“That’s actually why,” Daisuke replied, still grinning like a fool. “Those are for you.”

“Dai-chan!”

“Take it, Mao-kun. They are yours.” Kyousuke looked like he was going to object, but Daisuke shoved the clothes to his arms. “And don’t think you’re paying. Just think of it as a gift. I really appreciate what you’re doing, you know.”

Kyousuke was silent for a while, knowing that he was fighting a lost battle. “Fine. Thank you, Dai-chan.”

“You’re welcome. Now go and put that in your room. Dinner will be in an hour.”

“I’ll see you later, Dai-chan. Once again, thank you.”

Daisuke watched him leave, extremely satisfied.

“Oh, Dai-chan.” Kyousuke stopped walking, his hand on the door handle. “This is the only thing you did, right? You didn’t get a free room for me or something?”

The satisfaction doubled, and Daisuke had to pinch himself to keep from laughing out loud. “Um, that…”

Kyousuke didn’t need more confirmation. “DAI-CHAN!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The hotel I’m referring in this story is the one used in Bokutachi no Kougen Hotel. And Dai’s lucky I’m not that receptionist. I wouldn’t be that calm XD
> 
> They're so cute, huh?  
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	6. Broken Minds, Strange Persona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke and Kyousuke spend their first night together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who finally got some money out from writing? 
> 
> Truth be told, this is my fav chapter to write. Finally this is done!  
> Sorry for taking a while. I hope you're still sticking with me, because I cannot see anyone anywhere XD  
> Enjoy!

After dinner, Daisuke did his best to stay away from Kyousuke’s room. He knew how much his assistant needed rest, and even though he was more than keen to bring him around the stargazing spots the receptionist had told him, he knew better than to deny what Kyousuke needed the most. But he was stuck in another sleepless night, and he cursed the fact that he didn’t bring his retail blood.

So, he went out by himself. He found himself standing alone on the small hill nearby, looking up at the bright, clear sky. The receptionist was right; the stars were so beautiful from this place. From afar, he swore he could hear some noises produced by animals. A deer, probably, he was told that there were some of them around here. If only he brought his retail blood, this would’ve been a wonderful night.

Daisuke sat on the grass, thinking. _Should Mao-kun be involved in his vampire business?_ He knew the young man wouldn’t mind bringing—or even buying—Daisuke’s stash of retail blood every once in a while, and he was sure Kyousuke wouldn’t tell anyone about it. Kyousuke—like Naito—had done his job at fending off silver in some of Daisuke's photo sessions.

The thought made him chuckle. Kyousuke had admitted, once, that he’d come to Naito’s house to get the fake silver jewels Daisuke needed. Being his assistant had its advantages, for Kyousuke didn’t need to worry of sneaking those jewelries so Daisuke could keep himself sane through the exhausting ordeal.

The more Daisuke thought about it, the more Kyousuke seemed like an ideal assistant. Despite his shy attitude, the young man was pretty fun to be with, with some witty remarks and wry sense of humor that could come out occasionally. He also had some backbone in him; like when he stood up for Daisuke who was confronted by a jealous rival-slash-fellow-actor.

Doori and Minami’s words intruded his thoughts, spoken in both their voices. _Why don’t you have a donor, Dai-chan?_

With a frustrated groan, Daisuke threw himself on the grass. It was something he never dared to put into reality. He wasn’t stupid; he knew all of his friends wanted _Kyousuke_ as his donor. Heck, who was he fooling? He _himself_ wanted to have the young man as his donor. Sometimes, when the urge was strong and the retail blood lost its taste—

_Whoa, you. Stop right there._

To get rid of that thought, he closed his eyes… only to open them again a few minutes later. He couldn’t fall asleep here; he couldn’t risk someone finding him here and spread out false rumors. So he stood and returned to his room, while making a mental note to inform Kyousuke about the hill. It was a good photography spot, and maybe his assistant would like to consider it.

It was not long after that he was lying on the bed, trying his best to sleep. He remembered before he hadn’t got into stage plays and entertainment industry, that Vampire-Wannabe once taught him how to sleep. _How is that once again?_ He didn’t remember, but after a while of staring at the ceiling while attempting to empty his thoughts, he could feel sleepiness crept to his eyes. In a matter of minutes, he was asleep.

* * *

Daisuke’s sleep was taken away when he felt a hand on his cheek. At first he thought it had been morning already and he needed to get ready for the long trip home, but the coolness of the room told him it wasn’t the case. He slowly opened his eyes, trying to find out who dared to wake him up in the middle of the night. What he found was surprising.

Kyousuke was standing next to his bed, his hand was cold on his cheek. Daisuke sat up, but the movement didn’t even faze his assistant. “Mao-kun?”

No answer. The hand stayed on his cheek, even though Daisuke had grasped it in alarm. “Mao-kun?” he called once more.

The expression on Kyousuke’s face was weird. He looked cold, and there was no trace of usual shyness on his face. He didn’t look like himself at all and it scared Daisuke a bit. The vampire tried to push away the hand on his cheek, but something blocked it. It felt like Kyousuke didn’t want to let go of what he was holding.

“You’re a delicate flower.”

It was the only thing he said, his tone no higher than a hoarse murmur. Daisuke jumped to his feet and the hand stayed. There was something wrong about his assistant indeed. “Mao-kun, what is it? Talk to me!”

“You’re a delicate flower.”

Something, driven in panic, popped up in Daisuke’s mind. “You’re not Mao-kun, are you?!” he shouted. “Who the hell are you?!”

The effect was immediate.

Kyousuke’s eyes widened in horror and fell onto the floor, losing consciousness.

“Mao-kun!” Daisuke hurriedly knelt to check for his condition. If he was frightened before, he was completely freaking out right now. _What’s going on?!_ Whatever was going on, he needed to find out. “Wake-up, Mao-kun!”

Daisuke was rushing towards the door to call for help when he heard a groan. He was back to Kyousuke’s side just as fast. “Mao-kun, you okay?”

“Huh?” Kyousuke blinked a few times before attempting to sit. Daisuke helped him to get onto his bed. “What’s happening, Dai-chan? Why am I in your room?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

Realization dawned on Kyousuke, which was evident because his expression change was contrast. “Oh, no… don’t tell me I’m sleepwalking again. Dai-chan, _please_. I’m not sleepwalking again, aren’t I?”

Daisuke hadn’t thought about that possibility before. Even though he had never witnessed someone sleepwalking with his own eyes, it still felt strange. The way Kyousuke had looked at him had been too… _real_ for someone who wasn’t completely awake. But the vampire didn’t want to worry his assistant even more, especially when he was looking all pale and shocked like that.

“You’re a sleepwalker?”

His assistant scratched his head. “Yeah,” he said eventually. “I sleepwalk sometimes since I was a kid. I swear I locked my door! Did I sleepwalk, Dai-chan? Please tell me I didn’t. I never wanted you to know because… it’s just too embarrassing. I haven’t done that for years!”

To calm him down, Daisuke merely knelt before Kyousuke and grasped his hands. “I don’t think so, Mao-kun,” he lied. “Maybe you’re just too tired.”

Kyousuke’s eyes narrowed, not convinced at all, but he didn’t comment on that. “I can’t sleep again now. I should leave you to rest.”

“Mao-kun.” Daisuke’s grip on his assistant’s hands tightened, an obvious sign that screamed for company. “Why don’t you just stay here and talk? I can use some time with you.”

“Are you sure?”

“A hundred and one percent.”

“That’s not mathematically possible,” Kyousuke remarked unnecessarily, but a smile grew on his lips. “But… okay. I guess I’ve made you insomniac as well. Can you please stand, Dai-chan? You don’t need to kneel like that.”

Daisuke obliged and threw himself on the queen-sized bed. He still couldn’t stop wondering _why_ Kyousuke had to book such a room for him while he took a much cheaper one for himself. “Make yourself comfortable, especially when I know your bed’s not as big as this.”

“You’re right on that one.” Kyousuke shrugged and scooted slowly. He didn’t even look at the vampire as he tried to find a good spot for himself. Daisuke was sure his face was as red as a tomato if he looked up.

Impatient at the shy attitude, Daisuke decided to take the matters into his own hands. He managed to grab Kyousuke’s arm and pull him flat against the mattress. He positioned himself so they were lying side by side, staring at the ceiling. “Much better.”

“You truly are something, Dai-chan.” It sounded like either praise or an exasperated remark.

“Be awed at my prowess.”

“Is that Atobe’s quote?” Kyousuke chuckled. “Aren’t you supposed to be Tezuka instead?”

Daisuke rolled his eyes. “I didn’t get to do that. Ryouma did, and personally I think he made a great Tezuka. So, since I’m outta their league, I can quote whichever character I want.”

“I think you can make a good Tezuka, too, if you’re a bit… younger.”

“Are you seriously _mocking_ my _age_ right now?”

“Sorry, sorry.”

Despite that, Daisuke laughed. It felt good if Kyousuke was finally comfortable around him to joke about something like that. “And you’ll make a good Kikumaru as well.”

“You’re kidding.”

“I’ve seen you doing acrobatic moves in that Halloween party. Don’t tell me you’re not good in that. Where did you learn it?”

“Well… I used to play tennis at school, and I watched one of Tenimyu performances once. I think the Seigaku was the one before Kei-chan’s, but I forget their names. It was so amazing that I decided to learn some of their moves.”

“And you settled on Kikumaru and his acrobatics?”

“You can say that. It must’ve been fun to be him.”

“Better than the stone-faced captain, that is. I can’t imagine how hard it was for Ryouma to stay expressionless like that, because he laughs as much as he breathes. But I think Kikumaru is quite draining himself. How long did you try to learn that? Those moves, I mean.”

“A few years, I guess. That’s also why I entered Theater Sun Mall. I want to take a part on the stage. I thought… with my knowledge, they’d let me play.”

Daisuke didn’t comment at that, but insecurity started to fill his insides. “Hey, Mao-kun?”

“Huh?”

“Why are you working for me? You might be my assistant, but basically you’re just an errand boy here. You don’t get to the stage, and basically it’s just the same with you working in that place.”

To his surprise, Kyousuke laughed. “Don’t talk like that, Dai-chan. Unlike my days there, I enjoy my work with you.”

It was an unsatisfying answer. “Why are you staying?”

A long pause. “…do you really want to know?”

Daisuke nodded. He wasn’t sure Kyousuke could see it, since they were still looking at the ceiling, but suddenly the answer came. The tone was serious, bordering on businesslike.

“I’m not going to lie to you, Dai-chan. At first, I thought I can find people who’ll help me to the stage. One of my craziest thoughts when I just began working is that Kinoshita-san would be my manager as well. I also thought that you and I could act on the same play, or I’d interest someone from your management.” Kyousuke sighed. “So, there you go. The truth. I used to think of you as a stepping stone.”

“What changed?” To be honest, Daisuke wasn’t surprised at all. Kyousuke’s thoughts were understandable.

“It turns out that I _enjoy_ being your assistant.” The tone was lighter, happier now. “It’s actually okay to work with you, to help Kinoshita-san arrange events, to attend to your photo sessions. Even asking Naito-kun for fake silver, picking up your lunches, helping you with scripts and trying to make places less sunny for you turn out to be… fun.”

“I… see.” It was when Daisuke realized that he knew _so little_ about his assistant. “Tell me more about yourself, Mao.”

At the absence of the suffix, the vampire wondered whether Kyousuke was surprised. As a response, his assistant shifted so he was staring at Daisuke, who struggled to keep his eyes on the ceiling. He couldn’t be held responsible to what would happen if he participated in the staring contest in such a close proximity. After a while, his assistant returned on his back and began to speak.

“I live in the city, with my parents and two brothers. I’m a middle child in a trio of boys.”

Once he began to tell Daisuke his story, he didn’t stop. Daisuke listened patiently as he recounted some of his childhood events, the menus of his father’s restaurant, some jokes he shared with his brothers, his mother’s cooking, even about how his bedroom looked like. It was a mess, according to him, and it stayed that way even though he had done his best in cleaning up.

“Why did you move? You’re living alone now, right?”

“Yeah. When I was old enough I decided to move out so I won’t bother them too much. Going home late for almost every day is not a good example for my little brother. Besides, living alone gives me more freedom.”

Daisuke nodded and the conversation continued until hours later. In exchange, he also talked about himself, or what he could remember about himself. It was in the middle of talking about Vampire-Wannabe and Naito—it turned out that Daisuke’s assistant had encountered them together a couple of times—when Kyousuke yawned.

“Go to sleep,” Daisuke coaxed, but his voice was too low due to the need of retail blood and lots of talking.

“You sound like a creepy killer,” Kyousuke said as a reply, but closed his eyes. Within seconds, he was out like a light.

Daisuke watched him with an amused smile. Kyousuke could look so beautiful without even trying. He closed his eyes and tried to focus on scent; something he shouldn’t have done, but his hunger—controlled, but still—was to blame. Sometimes, when he caught sight of Kyousuke around, he couldn’t help but to wonder how he smelled like.

Now was the best chance.

Kyousuke’s scent was human. Thanks to Minami, Daisuke started to have his scent recognition trained. He didn’t have the strange aroma that Naito and Vampire-Wannabe had, but not really like Doori either. Humans had various scents, and Kyousuke’s was no different. Still, it wasn’t too peculiar to be labeled as a non-human being. To make long story short, the scent was good. Daisuke could live with that.

Good scent… jumbled memories. Broken words.

 

_A donor’s smell._

 

**_A donor’s smell._ **

 

_A_

_donor_

_’s_

_A_

_donor’s_

_smell._

 

smell

your

DONOR.

 

S-m-e-l-l y-o-u-r d-o-n-o-r.

_**~~DOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOONNNNNNOOOOOOOOOO—~~ ** _

 

Daisuke’s eyes snapped open. No way, Kyousuke wasn’t his donor! He's merely his assistant, nothing else! The hunger was on the loose now, and he needed to leave the room before he could do anything he would regret. But the wild side of him wouldn’t have any of it. His vision blurred and bloody flashbacks attacked his mind. Those were the memories Daisuke would more than glad to forget.

It was when he was still unable to control himself. They came in flashes; all were in disarray thanks to the attempted memory cleansing. It played another and another and changed and mixed, gradually, to things in the present. About someone who was currently sleeping next to him.

 

 

~~—daisukeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee draw draw draw papers watch watch watch kill kill kill KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL KILL DRINK DRINK DRINK DRINK~~

 

DONOR

DAISUKE

SCENT

 

BEAUTIFUL beautiful KYO— _kyouuuuuuuuuuuuuu little child kyousu—_

 

**nooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo**

 

little

child

Should

SHOULD

SSSSSSSSSSSSSSTTTTTTAAAAAAAAAAAYYYYYYYYY

…PPPPPPPPPPPPPppppppppppppure/white/dancing/beautiful

 

Kyousuke Hamao dancing on the grass, hearing the words KILL KILL KILL and jumped towards Daisuke with a knife ready at hand—

 

~~TAKE~~

~~BLOOD~~

~~VAMPIRES~~

 

vvvvvvAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAMPIREEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEESSSSS drRRRINK BLOOOOD—hu ** _maaaaaaaaaaaaaaan_**

h

u

_**m** _

**_**_a_ ** _ **

**_**_a_ ** _ **

**_**_a_ ** _ **

**_**_a_ ** _ **

**_**_a_ ** _ **

**_**_n_ ** _ **

.

.

.

Hooligans

hooligans

HOOLIGANS

h.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.o.l.i.g.a.n.s

HOOOOOO—

 

A voice rang within the memories, one that happened just hours ago. It brought even more jumbled memories of, to Daisuke’s horror, the current events. It involved lots of blood, but it was his mind playing things on him because nothing like that happened when he was here with Kyousuke. _Dammit, stop!_

 

**_ YOU ARE A DELICATE FLOWER, DAISUKE _ **

 .

.

.

DELICATE

de.li.ca.te

D.E.L.I.C.A.T.E

FANoutingLOYALLOYALLOYALasssssssssssssssssiiiiiiiiiiistaaaaaaaaaant

K-y-o-u-s-u-k-e KyouuuuuukeeeeEEEEEEEEEEE—

Physical!!!!!! PHYSICAL!!!!

BLOOOOOOOOOOOOOD DONOOOOOOOOOOOORRRR

hamaohamaohamaolittlechildhamaoPHYSICALDAISUKEhamaohamao1691hamaohamaohamao

NovemberNovemberNovemberPHYSICALDAISUKEJuneJuneJuneDONORDONORisHERE

LEAVEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE pityyyyyy DON’T DON’T DON’T DON’T

— _don’t ‘ya ever!_

 

Daisuke opened his eyes—when did he reclose them?—and he was back in the hotel room. Without thinking, his body moved by himself while his mind changed things. _Physical, physical, physical, hunger, hunger, hunger, leave, leave, leave this room or you’ll regret it for the rest of your life._ He stroked the sleeping human’s forehead and placed a kiss on it.

The action startled him.

Not (only) because he knew he was crossing a line, but (also) because Kyousuke’s eyes had opened. And he looked just like he did earlier, when he’d touched Daisuke’s cheek.

The same coldness.

“You are a delicate flower.”

Daisuke gasped. Quickly, he jumped out the bed and left the room. He swore he could feel Kyousuke watching his back before he slammed the door shut. After he found himself on the same stargazing place, he fell onto his knees and tried to control his breath. A feeling crept into him, something unwanted at this moment. It also brought over a realization that made him shiver.

Kyousuke’s eyes on his back had eerily felt like seven years ago.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Long chapter involving them lying together. Nice, no? Sorry if the summary kinda tricks you ;)  
> And what’s going on with them? Mao’s eerie, Dai’s a bit… dunno. Something’s going on, I’m sure. There’s a bit of Mao’s backstory too, which is something I make up from the question ‘why would he take Dai’s offer to work as another errand boy?’ that first came up when I read the canon Eternal Moon.
> 
> AND YES OF COURSE I SHOULD CREDIT THESE:  
> 1\. ‘You are a delicate flower’ is from Princess Serenity-chan’s original Eternal Moon. I love that line so much, and you do know what I do whenever I love something. This is why the tag ‘Puns and References’ exists XD  
> 2\. 'That is not mathematically possible' is from Amarissia's DaiMao fic Hatsukoi. That part amuses me XD  
> 3\. 'Go to sleep/You sound like a creepy killer' is a reference to Jeff the Killer, a Creepypasta character. I used to be an admin in a Creepypasta page, and that just popped in my head when I wrote this down.  
> 4\. Daisuke’s ‘broken’ monologue is inspired by Cruoris by kimopedal. Really, really love that dark fic. I’m rolling on the floor over the fact that it was deleted WHY
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	7. Mind-Alteration

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke talks to someone about himself, and gets some answers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Have you ever felt so screwed up that you're confused? Either you wanna shower yourself with gold or smash your head against the nearest brick wall?  
> Yeah, me too.
> 
> (Updating to get myself out this weird mood. Enjoy.)

Minami, a few days after Daisuke went with his assistant, was bewildered when the older vampire approached him. It was a novelty, after all, that the older vampire wanted to talk in the middle of the night. They were alone in the library, since Daisuke asked for a meeting that probably would end up in an extensive research. Daisuke knew that he was the only one he could talk to. 

“So, you’re saying that you had flashbacks?”

“Bad ones. I couldn’t control them, and those are… bloody. Feels like broken memories.” Daisuke rubbed his temples. "That doesn't make sense."

A frown crossed Minami’s brow. “To be honest, I’ve expected them, but I never know it’ll be that bad. This shows how bad your clan was in the past.”

Daisuke grimaced. “You’re expecting them?”

“Yeah. Everyone’s expecting them. Don’t you think the same?” At Daisuke’s confounded look, he sighed. “Look. You’ve met Mao-kun—”

“Not that again.”

“Will you let me speak? What I’m saying is that he might be the one who triggered your memory altogether. Remember when you were going to see him for the first time? You got nightmares. And don’t forget the fact that he looked just like the boy you saved. He’s not some ordinary kiddo, you know. You need to find out what he really is.”

“He’s human alright.”

“How do you know that? He might be a VD and we won’t have any idea. Remember Baba-chan and—”

“He’s _human_ ,” Daisuke cut in, slightly irritated. “I tried recognizing his scent and found nothing suspicious. And before you ask, I can do that now just fine.” Despite Daisuke’s declaration, Minami still looked unconvinced. It was when Daisuke realized that it would be no use to tell him about Kyousuke’s strange ‘sleepwalking’, for he wouldn’t believe him anyway. “Whatever, Kei-chan. What do you think I should do?”

Minami looked around, at the books surrounding them. “I’m suggesting hypnosis or some memory alteration, but I’m good at neither of them. I have guys in the grooming house that can do it, though.”

“Is it dangerous? Why are they using that?”

“Yes. Lemme tell you something, Dai-chan. I once witnessed the process and… well, it didn’t end nicely.” The look Daisuke got was grave. “As to answer your question, they do it for a lot of reasons. You know we’re not the most popular thing on earth, right? Humans—most of them—think we’re nothing more than ferocious bloodsuckers. In order to keep a low profile, the community will do everything they can to handle the wild ones.”

“Are you saying that mind-alteration is the way to keep them under control?”

Minami’s expression became even graver. “You experienced it yourself, Dai-chan, you tell me.”

The words made Daisuke’s skin crawl. “But I’m not a wild vampire! I didn’t go out and kill people!”

“Oh, yeah. But your clan was. The vampire community was practically under their feet back then; they couldn’t do anything until you got humans to kill most of them by saving that kid. Your mistake was that you belonged in a wrong place at a wrong time, and you did something heroic with it.” Daisuke merely stared at him in slight anger, and thus Minami changed the topic. “Listen, I’m suck at this kind of job, but I can try to find these guys. It’s been a while since we met, so I hope I can get through to them without Doori-kun knowing.”

The anger subsided, but just a bit. “Why’s that?”

“Those two guys used to work on his friend. Well, still do, if that kid hasn’t got himself out yet. Doori-kun’ll hit the roof if he knows because he hates them with a passion.”

“What’s going on with the kid so they have to alter his memories?”

“Well… it’s not the only thing they do, actually. They—” Minami frowned. “You don’t wanna know. Really, Dai-chan. I don’t wanna talk about it.”

Daisuke decided not to poke further. What happened half a decade ago was enough proof that he better stayed away from those kinds of creatures. “Maybe you’re right. I don’t want to know about vampire communities.”

The other vampire stood and leaned against the bookshelf nearby. “You’re not the only one. They can be manipulative as hell.”

“I’ve heard about you in the grooming house. I’m sorry.”

“Doori-kun and his big mouth.” A bitter laugh escaped Minami’s lips. “But at least you have an idea about it now, how bad they can be. They’ll do everything just to save their own faces.”

 _I know how you feel_ , Daisuke wanted to say, but didn’t because Minami had left the table and started to wander around the bookshelves. “Kei-chan?”

“Let’s get this over with,” Minami’s voice was heard from behind the bookshelf on Daisuke’s left. “I’ll take a look about simple memory alterations and then we can leave. I just remember that I have to see Takki this morning.”

“Takki?”

“Don’t tell me you don’t remember him, Dai-chan.” Daisuke shouted his denial before Minami continued. His mind might be flawed, but he wasn’t that forgetful. Sometimes he felt his memory was better; he still failed to remember dates, but most of the events that happened in his entertainment years never left his mind. “He wants to talk about his project. Doori-kun and I want to help him as much as we can.”

“Understood.”

Daisuke stood and followed his friend to the bookshelf, determined to get it done as soon as possible.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More filler chapter, but this will do.   
> Reviews are much appreciated!


	8. The Big Day, and What Happens After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Just like what the title says.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I got another writing commission job and just finished its first draft. Knowing that I'll just be swept up again, here is an update. Enjoy!

The outing day came.

Despite Kyousuke’s demands to have Daisuke sleep early a day before, the vampire ended up sleeping on his usual hour. To be honest, it was so hard to change his sleeping schedule, especially with his history of insomniac nights. It resulted in a glare sent his way when he yawned in the management’s meeting room.

“Did I tell you to sleep early?” Kyousuke asked, his tone a mixture between annoyance and pity.

“You know me, Mao-kun,” Daisuke replied, smiling brightly to lighten the situation.

Kyousuke rolled his eyes and spoke no more. He did, however, when they were walking towards the car. “Dai-chan? Can I ask you something?”

“Sure. Go ahead.”

Kyousuke stopped walking and scratched his hair, messing it up a bit. Daisuke stopped as well, staring at him. “Do you… you said your memory was corrupted and you don’t remember a lot of things. What if they ask you about your childhood? I’ve tried my best not to include that kind of questions, but I’ll have to tell you that fans would love to know more about you, including how you were raised in the past. I can’t stop them if they ask you random questions.”

“Well…” Daisuke trailed off. To be honest, he hadn’t put it much thought. “You can help me making those up on our way there.”

“Seriously?”

“Yeah. I mean, there’s no way they’ll take it easy when I say I’m a mythical character that has lived for centuries, right?”

“Right.” Kyousuke paused for a while. “Hey, does this mean I should go with you instead?”

Daisuke merely stared at him with a triumphant smirk on his face.

Kyousuke sighed.

* * *

The vampire gained the upper hand. With Daisuke’s special request, they ended up in the car together, and Kinoshita assigned another staff to take care of the buses. Knowing that nobody else could know, not even Kinoshita, they discussed on how Daisuke should tell his story with voices no higher than a whisper. In the end, Daisuke had written down some notes that told some snippets of his ‘childhood’ in case of sudden questions.

“It’s okay for you to include something that _indeed_ happened, Dai-chan. Something you really remember.”

Daisuke closed his eyes and tried to and failed to conjure anything interesting. He wasn’t sure if the fans would love to hear about his imprisonment or how Naito used fake silver jewelries on him. So, he looked down at the notes and shrugged. “I can just improvise. You just need to take notes on whatever I said that isn’t in here.”

“Fair enough.”

“I’m an actor, after all. I can work things out.”

Kyousuke leaned back, satisfied at his answer. “Right.”

After he was done taking care of Daisuke’s ‘childhood stories’, Kyousuke made some calls to the staffs in the buses, making sure everything went according to his plan. He worried about them for a moment and shot some this-is-because-of-you-I’m-here glances at the vampire, who grinned innocently at him. Even though he put on an annoyed front, it only took him a huge bag of his favorite sweets to get him back to his chipper mood.

“You just know how to bribe me, huh, Dai-chan?” Despite his words, his hand had reached out to take the candy for the fifth time.

Daisuke winked as a response, which made Kyousuke blush.

To make long story short, everything went under control. The fans were a bunch of polite, albeit curious, people, who enjoyed the barbeque party and the Q&A sessions. It surprised Daisuke that there were a few guys as well, who actually ones that were interested in stage acting. The MC—this time, Kyousuke won the argument and stayed behind—was a wonderful woman who was able to keep the light, fun atmosphere between the vampire and his fans.

Daisuke made sure he followed all the details in Kyousuke’s schedule. Whenever he glanced from the makeshift stage and caught his assistant standing behind the crowd with Kinoshita and the staffs, he felt a rush of satisfaction at Kyousuke’s small smile.

_I’m doing something right._

* * *

The downside of that kind of event was the fan letters. It wasn’t like Daisuke didn’t like them—on the contrary, he insisted to read each one of them whenever he had time—but he couldn’t help the dread to fill his insides when he saw the mountain of papers on the table. His expression must’ve been obvious, for Kyousuke chuckled next to him.

“Have fun with that, Dai-chan.” It was all he said before he burst into laughter.

“Shut up.”

They—mostly Daisuke—spent the next few hours reading whatever the fans sent them through the outing event. Sometimes they laughed over cute letters or fawned over the magnificent fanarts. Even though it wasn’t the first time Daisuke received things like this, he was still amazed on how much his fans loved him.

The vampire was in the middle of admiring a nice portrait of him when he noticed something.

It was a letter, lying near the picture Daisuke was staring at. What made it stand out was the writing on the envelope.

 

_To: Kyousuke Hamao_

 

“Whoa. Hey, Mao-kun, it’s for you.”

Kyousuke looked up from the letters he was sorting. “For real?”

“Yes.” Daisuke handed it to him. “Someone must’ve noticed you in the outing, even though you didn’t even go near the stage. Nice, huh? Told you, you should’ve been the MC instead. I bet you’ll have your own fans soon en—”

Daisuke’s words were stopped at Kyousuke’s suddenly cold expression when he looked at the handwriting. He watched as his assistant stuffed it in his pocket without saying anything. “Mao-kun, you okay?”

The frown was still there. “No, nothing. Let’s continue.”

Daisuke didn’t want to, but Kyousuke’s determined face made him push the question to the back of his mind.

_What’s going on?_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for not writing about the outing in detail… I cannot seem to grasp it properly and ended up crossing it out. Besides, what happens after is more important. I leave that to your imagination. Perhaps, if I can, I’ll rewrite that part. No promises, tho.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	9. Drunk Vampires

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The answer comes, in the form of Taiki Naito.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm emotionally (and physically) exhausted these days, so I hope a chapter can cheer you up. I love it when I manage to write something, and I hope you enjoy it as well. :D

The answer came a few weeks later, in the form of Taiki Naito.

It was an uneventful day, not to mention a bit quiet. Kyousuke was in a meeting with Kinoshita and the management, thus leaving Daisuke alone after his rehearsal. He busied himself by updating his blog and preparing to go home when he spotted the VD standing on the doorway. It was something new, for he rarely saw him nowadays.

“Hi there, Naito-kun.”

“Dai-chan! Great!” Naito’s cheerful reply stood out between the voices in the backstage, making some of Daisuke’s co-stars turn at him. “Exactly the guy I’m looking for. I happen to be nearby, so wanna go home together?”

Daisuke caught a double meaning behind his words, so he came closer and made a gesture for him to lower his tone. “Why not?” _Because one can use a free ride on a motorcycle_ , he thought with amusement. “Lemme get my things first.”

“I’ll be waiting.”

It was when they were alone in the parking lot that Naito pulled out something from his bag he’d been carrying. It was a beer bottle, quite a big one, but Daisuke knew better that it was merely a disguise. He was more than familiar to it, after all. “Baba-chan wants me to give you this. He’s sure it’s been a while since you had it.”

Daisuke frowned in confusion. “Retail blood?” It wasn’t that weird, actually. Vampire-Wannabe used to buy them back when they hadn’t been under the spotlight, but he hadn’t done it for years. Daisuke was fine doing such task by himself. Despite that, he appreciated the effort, since what Vampire-Wannabe had predicted was true. “Where is he?”

“Out of town, filming since last week. He told me to buy you one since you called him in the middle of the night two days ago.”

“Eh? I did?” Daisuke searched his mind. He couldn’t really remember, but he indeed called _someone_ once in the middle of another insomniac night, whining about… something. He really— _really_ —needed to work on his memories. This was unusual; perhaps the lack of blood ruined his memory even more.

Naito laughed out loud. He didn’t even stop as he mounted his motorbike. “You need more sleep, Dai-chan. And more… _drink_. C’mon.”

The vampire sat behind him and they rode back to Daisuke’s apartment. Naito followed him inside and Daisuke instantly knew that he wanted more than just taking him home and handing over what Vampire-Wannabe wanted him to give. Thus, Daisuke turned at him with a raised eyebrow and a slight smile.

“You wanna talk to me about something, right?”

“Are you sure you’re unable to read minds?”

“Your gesture is obvious, Naito-kun. Make yourself comfortable.”

Naito obliged and sat on the couch, his expression suddenly turned serious. Daisuke fetched a can of beer from Vampire-Wannabe’s favorite stash—he needed to buy more of those, especially when his friend had remembered to buy him what he needed the most at this moment—and poured some of the retail blood into a smaller glass. There was no way he would spent this one, despite his hunger.

“So,” he began, handing over the beer which was received with a smile. “What is it?”

“I’ve been thinking, Dai-chan. Or, to be precise, Baba-chan and I have been thinking. You called him in the middle of the night, but you didn’t sound like your usual self. Were you drunk?”

“I don’t drink,” Daisuke replied, confused. “Not that kind of drink, I mean. When I do, I’m mostly lightweight. Things never go well whenever that happens.”

“We know that. But that’s not what I’m talking about. Apparently, in the vampire community, ‘drunk’ has a wider definition than just being influenced by alcohol.”

The vampire sat down and sipped his retail blood, but said nothing. Whatever Naito was going to spill, he needed to keep a clear mind about it.

“Baba-chan asked Kei-chan about this, and he said that a ‘drunken vampire’ state can happen on three occasions. One, when you’ve gotten too much blood in your system. Two, when you _don’t_ get any at all in you. The third one is more humane than you thought: when your system is contaminated by alcohol. The blood you need mixing with alcohol never results in a good end, according to Kei-chan.”

“Wait. So, you think I was drunk because I was _in need_ of retail blood?” He indeed needed one, after all. He hadn’t got one himself since the day of the outing, which was weeks ago. He had his busy schedule, and his recent performance, to blame. “That sounds more like _thirsty_. Or _dehydrated_. Those are more fitting words.”

“Yeah. Just like humans, being drunken causes a state in which you can’t know what you’re doing or where you are or things like that.” Naito scowled, obviously not liking to talk about something like this. “Vampires need more balance than humans, too much or too little blood will set them to a vicious rage and that will be dangerous. About the wrong choice of word, don’t look at me. I’m just relaying the message. Maybe it’s called _drunk_ because the outcome is the same.”

“You don’t need to be afraid I’ll do things like that,” Daisuke reassured matter-of-factly. “I’m perfectly fine. I’ve been in worse situation.”

The scowl disappeared. “We both know you won’t. But it’s always better safe than sorry. I don’t want you to end up like this.”

With that, he pulled out a newspaper from his bag. Daisuke didn’t need to read the news written to know that there was another victim of the vampire attack—the photo explained everything. “You think the attacker was drunk?”

“Drunken vampires tend to go to the extreme. Vicious rage, according to Kei-chan. They probably didn’t mean to kill, but they couldn’t control themselves anymore. Don’t forget the fact that they usually attack people with same physical characteristics with people they consider important, since that’s their only anchor to reality.”

Daisuke remembered what Doori had told him, and his mouth went dry. He glanced at the picture of the victim, this one taken before his death. _Yeah_.

“We need to catch this guy.”

Naito’s expression softened. “We should, before the vampire community gets to them first. I don’t wanna think about what they’ll do.”

“Why are you so determined?” Daisuke inquired. “I have a feeling this is more to _you_ than Ryouma.”

“Oh, believe me, Dai-chan, he wants to take care of this problem as well. He doesn’t want anything to happen to any of us, especially when we all know who’ll be the target, with that cute face of his. But my motivation is… slightly different. Despite what you guys tell me, I still talk to my anti-vampire group. Some of them are still close to me.”

“Ryouma’s gonna kill you.”

“I’d love to see him try.” A grin crossed Naito’s face. “But he’s met some of them once, so don’t worry. They’re actually overjoyed to find me affiliated with exiled vampires, especially ones as strong as you and as smart as Kei-chan. So, let’s say that I have backups whenever I need that, and you guys don’t need to fear them.”

Daisuke wasn’t convinced, but that topic was for another occasion. “You want me to protect Mao from this madness.”

“That’s what _you_ want, not us. Well, we do, but you don’t need to be told that. Doori-kun’s told you all the victims resemble Mao-kun in some way, right? A young man, dark-brown hair, almond-shaped eyes. Basically this vampire is after Mao-kun.”

“How do you know that?”

“Just a feeling, which is made strong by something else. And by that, I mean your phone call to Baba-chan two days ago.”

“What did I talk about?” Daisuke asked, dreadfully waiting for the answer.

Naito laughed. “Nothing unusual, just how you feel about Mao-kun.” Before Daisuke could protest in embarrassment, he continued. “But… jokes aside, you actually spoke about serious things. Like… his sleepwalking attitude and his expression after you gave him a letter for him from the outing.”

“I did?!” Now he was _truly_ embarrassed. “Tell him to forget everything I said.”

“Yes, you did… and no, he can’t do that. Problem is, what you said actually _reminded_ Baba-chan of something. He once visited Mao-kun and found something important, but didn’t have the chance to take it. Maybe you should find an excuse to crash in his house, Dai-chan.” A mysterious twinkle appeared on Naito’s eyes. “When you manage to do so, go and open one of the drawers under the kitchen counter.”

“What are you talking about?”

“You’ll see. I myself don’t know, Baba-chan didn’t tell me. Just crash in his place. Think of something.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	10. Stranger Persona

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke finds a way to sleep over in Kyousuke's apartment.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This Story hits 100 in its 9th chapter!!  
> It's awesome to see that it's gaining readers in such a small fandom. Thank you for whoever are reading this. Please keep supporting me.  
> To celebrate, I decide to write faster and post this much earlier than it should be.
> 
> (and guess who got paid for writing, again? Anyway, enjoy! :D)

“I lost the key to my apartment.”

That was the only thing Daisuke could think of as a reason, a day after Naito’s visit. He was just too curious about the VD’s coded words, and decided to find out by himself— _as soon as possible_. He looked up and saw Kyousuke eyeing him with a concerned look, mixing with confusion. “But… you’re bringing your clothes.”

 _Think, Daisuke, think!_ “Uh… Kinoshita-san happened to keep some in case I need them.”

“Why don’t you ask a spare key from Baba-chan? Oh, wait. He’s still out of town, right?” Kyousuke answered his own question before stepping aside. “I hope you don’t mind the mess.”

“Not at all. It’s not like my place is squeaky clean either.”

“You have a point.” Kyousuke chuckled, collecting the papers scattered on the coffee table so the place would look neater for his patron. “Your visit is unexpected, Dai-chan, but lemme prepare a bed for you.”

“I’m fine on the couch, Mao-kun.”

“Forgive my rudeness.” The human sighed, looking resigned. “I’m kinda tired today, so… you can do whatever you want, Dai-chan. Are you sure the couch is comfortable enough?”

Daisuke winked at him, trying to make him laugh. It worked, for Kyousuke’s tired face brightened for a while. “Should I make something for you? What are you doing, exactly?”

“Paperwork. They can be very exhausting, apparently.” It was the answer, which reminded Daisuke with the Post-It incident, although in Kyousuke’s apartment this time. “There are some things needed to be rewritten about your outing event, and that’s what I have to do now. Your management wants more details, and I just finished collecting words from the other staffs. Deadline’s tomorrow morning.”

“Can I help?”

“Thank you, but I can handle this.”

Daisuke merely shrugged and sidled to the kitchen. He managed to fix a simple _bento_ with whatever he found in the fridge, which made Kyousuke both glad and rueful at the same time when he appeared with it in hand.

“You really don’t need to do this, Dai-chan.” Nevertheless, he took it and started to eat. “I’m your assistant. I should’ve been the one doing it, not you.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Daisuke replied nonchalantly, grinning at the fact of how fast his assistant was eating. He was practically _devouring_ the whole thing. “You must be starving.”

Kyousuke blushed and smiled shyly. It didn’t help the fact that his mouth was full, which made his smile looked more like a lopsided grin. Still, he didn’t say anything more as he finished his dinner while Daisuke sipping his own retail blood. After he was done, Daisuke insisted on washing the dishes while he continued dealing with the paperwork, despite his assistant’s protests.

“You done?” Just like with the Post-It incident, it was easy to steer the human to bed when he looked ready to crash his head against the laptop. “Go to sleep, Mao-kun. That can wait.”

“But—”

“No buts.”

Kyousuke fell asleep as soon as his body hit the mattress, while Daisuke watched with a smirk on his lips, feeling as if he’d accomplished something important. He closed the bedroom door as quietly as possible and hurried to the kitchen.

There were three drawers under the kitchen counter, and Daisuke opened each one of them. He found nothing but simple kitchen utensils Kyousuke had stashed for cooking, and the last drawer he inspected had boxes of tissues. They were piled up neatly and Daisuke couldn’t see the bottom. It was the only drawer where he couldn’t. Suspicious, he carefully lifted all of the tissues and spread them on the floor around him. His eyes widened when he touched something that was paper, but not exactly a pile of tissues. With a triumphant smile, Daisuke pulled his hand out the drawer, and a stack of envelopes made itself visible in his grip.

It was the same envelope with the one in the outing, along with some similar ones.

“It seems you’ve earned it, delicate flower.”

Daisuke practically jumped out his skin. His knee hit the drawer in the process, and he groaned in pain before turning to the source of voice.

Kyousuke was standing there, his eyes cold. The vampire braced himself for angry accusation of personal space, or just accusations in general, but nothing came. He looked up at his assistant, who was still on his spot. No words were exchanged between them, and it remained that way for a long time.

“S-sorry, Mao-kun, I—”

“Sad, actually. He doesn’t want you to worry over him. That’s why he never tells you anything.”

“What?”

“I think you should put them back. The tissues, I mean. He’s waking up.”

“Mao-kun, what are you talking about?”

“Just do it!” The urgency in his voice made Daisuke obey at once. “You better hurry. I hope you’re luckier than The Chief, because he woke up in a wrong time and things went awry from there. I can hold him back, but just for a few minutes.”

Despite his utter confusion, Daisuke did what he was told and clicked the drawer close. Kyousuke helped him to stand and stuffed the remaining letters into his hand. “Take this and go home.”

“Huh?”

“Go _home_.” The cold tone was back as Kyousuke hissed at his patron. “I know you don’t really lose your key, so go home before I make you.” With unexpected strength, the vampire was pushed back to the living room’s couch. “Go home. He’ll see you tomorrow, and you better don’t mention this to him.”

Daisuke, more confused than scared, turned at Kyousuke when he had reached the front door. He knew he wasn’t dealing with his assistant, and he made sure he had a way out in case this… _persona_ decided to attack him. “You’re the one at the hotel, right?” he accused. “Who are you and what are you doing in Mao-kun’s body?!”

A smile that was none like Kyousuke’s usual one crossed his lips. It looked creepy and intimidating, something Daisuke had never seen on his usually shy assistant. “I shall tell you when the time has come. That is the least I can promise you. But, if you need any reassurance, just remember that I never mean any harm, and he is not in danger either. Now go, and tell someone about that letter, because he does not have any courage to do it himself.”

With that, Kyousuke slammed the door shut, leaving Daisuke and his small luggage on the dimly-lit empty corridor with a dizzy head and utter confusion.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huh? What happened?  
> I promise this is just the beginning.  
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	11. Scented Letters

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The letters are discovered.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Has anyone listened to Takumi-kun BLCD? I found some of them (I only listen to the ones that are made to the movie) so good!  
> And not to mention Tezuka's seiyuu played Gii in Bibou no Detail BLCD...  
> It makes me think of a certain someone who also played Tezuka AND Gii at some point of his life XD
> 
> Anyway, enjoy this chapter! I think the BLCD makes me write faster ;)

“ _I want to see you again. I think you’re the only one who can make the dream come true._ ”

Vampire-Wannabe’s somber voice was the only thing that filled the changing room. Daisuke looked up at him from his seat. They were waiting for Minami to come, almost two hours before they started another episode of Triple Zone.

“Creepy, huh? That’s the only thing written in all the letters. I have to leave some, though, so Mao-kun won’t notice they’re gone.” It was a lie, of course. Daisuke didn’t want to tell Vampire-Wannabe about Kyousuke’s strange behavior… not until he was able to find the answer on his own. “Do you have any idea who this might be?”

“Do _you_ , Dai-chan?”

Daisuke tried to search his mind, but no avail. “As far as I know, Mao-kun doesn’t have any enemies… or someone nuts enough to send him letters like this. The management likes him and he gets along with my associates pretty well.”

“Me neither, but maybe Mao-kun is more than meet the eye.”

Vampire-Wannabe was going to answer when the door opened and Minami walked in. “Hello, guys. Sorry I’m late.” His eyes narrowed in suspicion at his friends’ gloomy expressions. “Did I miss something?”

As a response, the only VD in the room handed the letter to him. “It seems like Mao-kun has gotten himself a stalker.”

“Really?” Minami took his time to read the words, and he frowned after he was finished. “Such a dumb stalker this person is,” he spoke up. “You can’t send anonymous letters to someone using your own handwriting.”

“Do you recognize it?”

Minami shook his head, much to the others’ disappointment. “I just don’t want to give you false hope, Dai-chan. I’m sorry. What I can say now is that you should keep an eye on your assistant. Maybe someone is stalking him without you noticing, and I think you can tell your manager so he can help as well. After all, Mao-kun works for him too. Does he know you took his letter?”

“No.” It was Daisuke’s turn to shake his head. “He doesn’t want to make me worry, so he keeps his mouth shut.”

“Oi, Kei-chan,” Vampire-Wannabe cut in. “Maybe you can pick up a scent or something?”

“Who d’you think I am, a K9?” After a while of chuckling, he continued. “To be honest, I’ve never found anything based on papers before, but lemme try.” He brought the paper closer to his nose and sniffed for a few seconds. His eyes lit up and Daisuke was hopeful… before they dimmed again.

“No?” the oldest vampire asked.

“Sorry, Dai-chan.”

“It’s okay.”

They left it at that, and when Daisuke was going home, he saw Vampire-Wannabe talking with Minami. They looked like they were debating in voices no higher than a whisper, and Daisuke considered going towards them. But before he managed to catch whatever they were saying, Minami had noticed him.

“I’ll see you later, Baba-chan.”

With that, the younger vampire left without a word. Daisuke turned to Vampire-Wannabe. “What is it, Ryouma?”

For a split second, his friend looked like he was going to _burst_. But he managed to get himself under control and shook his head. “Nothing, Dai-chan. Let’s go home.” 

* * *

The next few days went uneventfully. Kyousuke was back to his usual mood in the next few days and Daisuke left it at that. He didn’t say anything about Daisuke’s ‘failed sleepover’ and for that the vampire was grateful. But still, finding him so nonchalant—bordering on total forgetfulness—was pretty unnerving.

Almost two weeks had passed when Daisuke saw Naito again, standing in the corner of the hall where his rehearsal took place. The difference was that Kyousuke was also there, working on something while waiting for the rehearsal to come to an end. They were chatting happily when Daisuke noticed them, and stopped when he went closer.

“Naito-kun!” Daisuke did his best to put on a cheery expression. Truth be told, dread was creeping in his insides. He remembered Kyousuke’s letter from his stalker—most likely the vampire who had attacked quite a lot of his lookalikes—and whatever reason Naito had to show up in Daisuke’s rehearsal venue, it didn’t mean good.

“Dai-chan.” Kyousuke was the one who spoke first. “Naito-kun just invited you for dinner.”

The vampire raised his eyebrow. “Me?”

“I asked Mao-kun as well,” Naito interrupted. “But he said he has to see your manager today.”

Daisuke glanced at his assistant, frowning. “You haven’t told me that. Is everything okay? Do I need to be there? Should I call Kinoshita and ask?”

Kyousuke shrugged. “Late emergency meeting, I guess. Stuff with the management and all. But I think nothing bad’s happening, so you can go and stop worrying.”

“If you say so.” Daisuke turned to the only VD in the room. “Wait here. I’ll be back soon and we can leave. I’ll see you tomorrow then, Mao-kun.”

“Have fun, Dai-chan.”

Daisuke merely nodded his thanks and left.

Almost two hours later, he found himself sitting across Naito, empty plates between them. “I know you have something to tell me,” he began. “Please do.”

Naito rubbed his temples and looked like he wanted to be anywhere else but there, practically cowering under Daisuke’s questioning gaze. It was a novelty, for he always had that confident air around the vampire. Even when he was annoyed he never looked like he wanted to flee as far as possible.

“I’m sorry. I really, really am. Thing is, they’ve kept me outta everything, and I just received their call before I visited you there.”

“What do you mean?” Coded words were never Daisuke’s strongest point.

More temple-rubbing on Naito’s part. “It’s Baba-chan and the others. They’ve found out who the stalker is.”

It felt as if the sky was crashing down on the vampire. Daisuke couldn’t believe what he’d just heard. “They did?” he managed to let out after a while of jawdrop.

“Yeah. That’s why we are here. They don’t trust us to come near them… yet.” Naito was obviously struggling to keep his calm. “I can be very brutal when it comes to… bad vampires who try to harm my friends, and you… this is about Mao-kun. Whatever concerns him, you are not that… objective.”

“And you’re okay with this?” Daisuke’s tone had changed, into something bordering on anger. Not on Naito, of course, but he had no choice but to lash out a bit. “You’re being left out, just like I am, and that doesn’t anger you?! This is about Mao-kun’s safety, alright? They have no right to keep me away from this!”

“Baba-chan only needs to remind me about the exploding grooming house to make _me_ okay with their damn plan!” Naito buried his face in his hand before looking up, fierce determination evident in his eyes. “You know what, screw this. We’re going there.”

Daisuke jumped to his feet, so quickly that the table before him rattled. “Hell yeah we are.” 

* * *

It was the first time Daisuke experienced Naito’s speeding journey, and it was easy to reckon that the VD was as furious as he himself was. This time, the vampire didn’t care. All he wanted was to get to the place Naito was told and see _whoever dared to stalk and_ **intend** _an attack towards his assistant they are so dead they are certainly PLAYING WITH FIRE—_

“We’re here.”

Naito pulled the break and the motorbike skidded to a stop in front of an apartment building. Daisuke didn’t recognize the neighborhood and Naito left him to do some exploring while he parked his vehicle in the parking lot reserved for motorcycles. He joined the vampire a few minutes later and they found themselves standing before the tall building, consisted by windows.

“You know what… actually Baba-chan _wanted_ to tell me.” Daisuke turned to the source of voice, at Naito who looked resignedly at the apartment. “He never wants me to get in trouble, but he knows better than stopping me. So, he doesn’t tell me who it is, but he did tell me which apartment that attacker lives.”

Before Daisuke was able to stop him, Naito had picked a rock from the ground and threw it at one of the windows. He managed to break the glass and pushed Daisuke away before it could rain on them.

“What was that, Naito-kun?” Daisuke protested.

“The usual.” A cheeky grin crossed the VD’s face, and Daisuke vaguely remembered the broken window in Kei-chan’s house—years ago.

_Oh._

“And I think I get the right room,” Naito declared proudly, pointing upwards. “Look.”

Daisuke looked up and, to his shock, saw someone peeking out the hole on the window. It was far away—it was on the seventh floor, Naito was indeed amazing—but Daisuke didn’t need long to know who that was.

“Taiki-kun!” It was what the vampire could hear. “Damn it, pet, what have you done?! Taiki-kun!”

Naito nudged Daisuke, bringing him back to the ground. “What’s he saying? I can’t hear him.”

“He’s calling your name,” Daisuke replied dryly. Naito might have a drop of vampire’s blood in him, but he was mostly human when it came to physical senses. “And he’s not happy.”

“So I figured.” Naito looked up and winked, maddening Vampire-Wannabe even more. “Like it or not, Baba-chan, we’re going up!”

Daisuke didn’t bother to relay the message, because Naito had pulled him into the building. Luckily enough, they found an empty, ready elevator and were in the seventh floor almost immediately. Naito stopped running in front of one door and kicking it open, being under adrenaline rush he was.

Vampire-Wannabe’s enraged expression was what awaited them.

“Move over, Baba-chan! Dai-chan deserves to know!”

With strength Daisuke had never seen, Naito had pushed Vampire-Wannabe to the wall. He continued to pull Daisuke into the living room, where his other friends had waited. All of them were staring at him with wide eyes.

Daisuke’s breath hitched.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you have a guess who the culprit might be, please keep it to yourself. ;))
> 
> Sorry for ending it here. Reviews are much appreciated!   
> Who knows, by knowing what you think, I might be able to write faster before you raid my house with torches ^^


	12. Don't

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke discovers the culprit.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's finally able to post all the cover pictures to AO3? Yay!
> 
> Here's a chapter to celebrate. Little things like this can fire me up to write, apparently.
> 
> Oh. In case you don't know, Fukubuchou means vice-captain.
> 
> Enjoy!

“Dai-chan, I think he is drunk. But I’ve never seen any reaction like this…”

Minami’s words brought Daisuke to the present. He looked away from the man sitting on the sofa, his eyes too unfocused to be told completely _sane_. The man looked nothing like the one he’d met a while ago, with ruffled clothes and pale face. Daisuke squinted and was able to see fangs inside the man’s mouth.

“We’ve been trying to talk to him,” Doori added. “But Fukubuchou’s been unresponsive since we got here.”

“When did you get here?” Daisuke gritted out.

“Around forty minutes ago,” Minami began. “Doori-kun accidentally matched his handwriting in his old letters for him, which made me re-identify the scent just to make sure. After I was certain enough, we decided to break into his house, just to catch him before he can attack anyone else. But this is how we found him.”

“Why didn’t you tell me?”

“You look like you’re going to bash his head in, Dai-chan,” Vampire-Wannabe joined in. “And you just arrived.”

 _Do I?_ Daisuke turned to the nearest mirror, and his own expression surprised himself. His eyes had turned red and even his fangs were visible inside his slack jaw. The hatred in his expression was as clear as the blue sky, making him look like someone he barely knew. He stepped back, almost colliding with Doori in the process. He looked at the vampire apologetically.

“Dai-chan, I’m so sorry!” the human pleaded. “It’s my idea of not telling you and Naito-chan, I’m so sorry! I want to solve this myself because I don’t want anybody to get hurt! I know he won’t attack me because—”

Daisuke turned to him and noticed something. Doori had dyed his hair dark brown—and Daisuke, despite his practically blinding rage, just _knew_.

“Are you posing as Mao?”

A gasp was heard not far away, which Daisuke recognized as Minami’s. He glanced at the other vampire and saw anger in his eyes, turning them into fiery red orbs. _Bet he doesn’t have an idea_ why _his donor looks like that_ , Daisuke thought bitterly. He ignored them and returned at the man on the couch, who was as still as a statue.

“What should we do about him?” Vampire-Wannabe asked.

“Just throw him to the outer space or something,” Daisuke snapped without thinking. “Hey, can you speak?”

No answer, but that was predictable. Daisuke grabbed the man’s shoulders, shaking him as hard as he could. “Can. You. Speak?!”

The man sagged after Daisuke was done, and his mouth moved. “What is it? What are you saying?” Daisuke snarled, his anger clouding his senses too much he couldn’t hear correctly.

The word was repeated, slightly louder than the former one. “TV. TV.”

Naito reacted faster than the rest of them. He wrenched himself out Vampire-Wannabe’s grasp, grabbed the remote control and turned on the TV, making it the sole source of voice in the room. The channel displayed breaking news, and Daisuke’s insides filled with trepidation.

“ _Another attack has happened. The victim is male… around twenties… brown hair… died around an hour ago_ …”

Another mutter from Yukihiro Takiguchi brought Daisuke to the present. “Hamao-kun…”

“Damn it, Takki!” Minami half-screamed, launching himself towards his former co-star in the strongest form of wrath Daisuke had ever seen on his usually calm demeanor.

To avoid Minami, Daisuke hurriedly stood, but his mind was already somewhere else. Before anyone could register what was happening, including himself, he had reached the door. Vampire-Wannabe grabbed his shoulder, but Daisuke merely croaked out a name before he rushed out the building, his legs apparently had a mind on their own.

_Mao, you better be okay, damn it!_

* * *

When Kyousuke didn’t open the door, Daisuke almost broke it like he’d done in the eventful Halloween. But finally the furniture swung open, and Kyousuke’s hair was dripping wet and a towel was slung on his shoulder and he had obviously just finished taking a bath and he might be a bit warm from the water but at least he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine he was fine fine fine fine  _fiiiiiiiiineeeeeeeeeeeeeeee_ —

“Dai-chan? Are you okay? Dai-chan, I can’t breathe!”

It was when Daisuke realized that he had Kyousuke in his arms and was hugging him as tightly as he could because _dammit he is okay_. He jumped away, muttering apologies. But he was sure as hell that he wouldn’t leave, for anxiety was still overruling his mind even though Takki was in his friends’ hands and he could trust them.

Fortunately, Kyousuke thought the same.

“Come in. You look really troubled and I don’t want some paparazzi with a camera catch you like this.”

“Y-yes.”

Kyousuke might be smaller than him, and his strength was far below Daisuke’s real one, but he succeeded at pushing the vampire into his living room and making him stay on the couch with ease. “Wait here, Dai-chan. I’ll be back soon.”

Daisuke was going to disobey, still frightened over letting the young man out of his sight, but Kyousuke made true of his words with a mug in his grip. Without looking at its contents, Daisuke grabbed it and hurriedly drank, knowing that Kyousuke wouldn’t hurt him. The realization that hit made him choke, worrying his assistant even more.

“Dai-chan! Are you okay?”

As a form of response, Daisuke coughed a few times before he was able to calm himself down. It tasted slightly different, but he enjoyed it all the same. “You… you have retail blood?”

“Oh.” Kyousuke smiled nervously. “I keep some in case you need it. For emergency situations. Baba-san gave it to me once.”

“Thank you.” Daisuke finished it in a gulp and put down the mug on the table before wiping blood off his mouth without commenting further. He knew better than to judge Vampire-Wannabe for sharing it with his assistant. “You’re okay, Mao. You’re okay.”

The nervousness in Kyousuke’s eyes changed into utter confusion. “What are you talking about?”

And it came spilled out. About the vampire attacks, the stalker, the letters, _everything_.

The vampire was the only source of voice in the room as he ranted, raved, grabbed Kyousuke’s hand just to remind himself that _he is there_ , spoke about all his worries, and Kyousuke _waited_ for him to finish. He didn’t say anything, merely patting Daisuke’s cold hands in comfort. He made a face at the steely grip Daisuke’s hands had around his delicate one but kept his silence.

When Daisuke finally stopped talking, it was his assistant’s turn to open his mouth.

“Hey, hey, Dai-chan, I’m okay here. I’m fine. No vampires have tried to attack me on the streets, Takki-san has stopped sending me letters, and I’m _fine_.” Kyousuke’s other hand shyly cupped Daisuke’s cheek in the form of reassurance. It was, Daisuke realized with a start, the first time Kyousuke dared to touch him like that.

Unfortunately, Kyousuke interpreted it the wrong way. “Sorry!” He flinched, pulling his hand with him.

Daisuke hurriedly released his own grip before catching that hand. Their eyes locked for a while before Kyousuke blinked and looked away. “I’ll get more blood for you.” And before Daisuke could say anything, he’d got onto his feet and gone to the kitchen, a bit faster than usual. That left Daisuke with nothing but disappointment that he didn’t know where from.

However, it was worth it, for the retail blood Kyousuke brought him was satisfying. Tasted slightly different than the one Daisuke stashed at home, and by _different_ , he meant _better_. He gripped the mug tightly, trying to calm himself. The blood mostly did that for him, but Kyousuke’s warm stare also helped. It was much more soothing that he’d predicted, and Daisuke gave him a weak smile just to let him know his mind was getting better.

“Have you calmed down?”

“Yes.” Daisuke leaned against the couch, sighing. “Sorry for making you worry.”

Kyousuke shrugged nonchalantly. “Worrying about you is a part of my job,” he said, trying to make the atmosphere lighter, but his eyes were still guarded. “So… you know about the letters. How do you know? When did you take it?”

A long silence, which was broken when Kyousuke spoke up again. “Don’t worry, Dai-chan. I’m not angry. Now that we’ve known who did it to me, I just wanna know. No, I _need_ to know.” Obvious desperation slipped into his tone. “Dai-chan, I _deserve_ to know. Please don’t keep it out from me.”

Daisuke opened one of his palms, and his assistant understood in some way. The vampire didn’t look at him as he answered; instead he merely stared at their joined hands. Kyousuke’s warmth spread, battling the coldness and fear in the vampire, and it became a form of encouragement. “When I lost my key. Remember that day?”

“I remember you coming, but…” A long pause. “You must’ve left when I’ve fallen asleep.”

Daisuke didn’t have enough strength to tell him about his ‘strange side’ and thus he didn’t. That could wait for a later time. “I accidentally found them. Your letters, I mean, and my house key,” he lied, mind trying to find more reason to support it. “I wanted to tell you but… you looked so tired. So I just left when you’re already asleep.”

“Alright.” A small smile grazed Kyousuke’s lips. “Thank you for telling me, Dai-chan. I’ve always had this fear that you’re leaving me out of everything because I’m a human being.”

“No!” The half-shout came out before Daisuke could stop himself. Kyousuke flinched, but he didn’t release his hand. “It’s just… uh, I’m an exiled vampire, Mao. You know that; I’ve told you before. I’m not a part of the vampire community and I will do everything to stay away from that. Unless it’s an emergency, I prefer keeping a low profile.”

“I understand.” Kyousuke nodded. “What kind of emergency, Dai-chan?”

It was when Daisuke realized that he might’ve had told Kyousuke about him being a vampire and his history, but he hadn’t spoken anything about _his friends_. “I think… it’s best that you know everything now.”

Kyousuke pulled his hand but Daisuke didn’t let him. No, not when the vampire still needed an anchor to reality. “Is there anything else I should know?”

Daisuke closed his eyes, preparing himself. He opened them again and began. “Yes. It’s about my friends…”

* * *

The apartment was quiet.

Daisuke didn’t sleep… he _couldn’t_. Worry was still clouding him, despite the fact that Kyousuke was perfectly fine. He had a feeling that something was going to happen, and it wasn’t a good feeling, much to his dismay. After Kyousuke went to his bedroom, leaving Daisuke to ‘sleep on the couch’— _will that be okay with you, Dai-chan?_ —the vampire couldn’t even close his eyes.

Kyousuke slept, though, after hours of the vampire forcing him to. It was actually a wonder that he still could sleep after knowing the truth about Daisuke’s circle of friends. Daisuke rose and went over to the door before opening it slightly. He’d done it five times already, and each time revealed a peacefully sleeping Kyousuke, but it still couldn’t settle the dread in his stomach.

 _Sleep tight, Mao-kun_.

Knowing that he couldn’t keep this anxiety until morning, Daisuke decided to get some more of the retail blood Kyousuke had stashed for him. He was in the middle of pouring the red liquid when his cell phone rang. The song was the only source of voice in the room, making it sounded much louder than it was supposed to. Murmuring several curse words, he rushed into the living room and grabbed the annoying device from the couch.

Vampire-Wannabe’s name appeared on the screen. Hurriedly, Daisuke picked it up and his bad feelings were confirmed.

“Dai-chan… we were attacked.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘Just throw him to the outer space or something’ is a reference to 7802 Takiguchi, an asteroid. Sorry, cannot help it.
> 
> For sd4ianto, I hope this chapter doesn't keep you on the edge of your seat ;)
> 
> Uh, what now? Another attack? Just stay tuned!  
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	13. Counterattack

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Aftermath of an attack, with another hand who wants to help.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hullo, all! I have good news and bad news.  
> Bad news: Remember when I said Story III is also an outlet of anger because I was forced to live with someone I loathe on daily basis? I have to face the guy tomorrow. Huh. Wish me luck? :)
> 
> Good news (better news, great news!!! XD): I manage to write several chapters after this. Well, not complete yet (only major plots and snippets) but I'll try my best to get them done quickly. I'll be leaving for a long trip next week (without that guy, thank God) and I'll try to update whenever I can.  
> Updated in case I cannot do so tomorrow. Enjoy!

When Daisuke returned to Takki’s apartment, it looked like a bomb had exploded in it. He didn’t even need to knock; the door was slightly ajar and it fell to the floor when the vampire pushed it open. His nose caught some strange smell that he had never found before. It took him a while to identify it as the one he’d occasionally found on Minami.

 _Vampires_.

“Dai-chan!”

Vampire-Wannabe was limping towards him, the left side of his face bruised. Daisuke quickly caught him before he could meet the floor face first. He made a gesture at the door and the vampire sat him down before fixing the furniture so nobody from outside could see the utter mess that was Yukihiro Takiguchi’s apartment.

“Ryouma, what happened? No, no, don’t answer that now. I’ll be back.” Daisuke practically flashed into the kitchen—careful not to step on glass shards from all the broken windows and broken chair legs from whatever cushions Takki had in his house—to get some ice pack. Takki didn’t have any, but Daisuke managed to wrap some of the melting ice cubes—it must’ve been a very vicious attack for them to even break the _refrigerator_ —with his handkerchief to help ease his friend’s pain.

“Thanks.” Vampire-Wannabe gingerly placed the wet cloth onto his face and groaned.

“Where are the others? Are they okay?”

“Taiki-kun is over there.” Vampire-Wannabe pointed at the overturned sofa. “Last time I saw him, he’s still out. Kei-chan is in the bedroom… I think Doori-kun’s with him.”

“And Takki?” It was a rhetorical question, yet Daisuke still wanted to hear the answer.

Vampire-Wannabe’s eyes narrowed. “That’s why they were here. They took him.”

“So I figured.” Daisuke sighed and rose to his feet. “Stay here. I’ll check on them.” He made his way towards the couch and pushed it back to its initial position, revealing an unconscious, equally bruised Naito. Gently, the vampire lifted his friend and put him onto the couch. Vampire-Wannabe watched his movements with a blank expression, and it was all Daisuke needed.

“Can you stand?”

“Yes.”

Despite his affirmation, Daisuke still helped his friend towards the couch. After leaving Vampire-Wannabe on the couch with Naito, he went to the bedroom. The place was no better than the outer rooms, with everything out of place and more broken windows and mirrors and overturned furniture.

It was easy to spot Minami. He was out cold, but in a sitting position with his back leaning against a closed door. Daisuke frowned at the faint scent of blood and the sight of it on the wall and the floor leading to where Minami’s body rested, giving the proof that the vampire had at least crawled towards the door. Scars littered Minami’s shirtless form, which made Daisuke cringe. Vampires were able to heal easily, but it didn’t mean that kind of wounds wouldn’t leave any marks. Plus, that wasn’t a good sight to look at.

“Kei-chan,” he breathed out and did the same procedure as the one he’d done to Naito. After placing the other vampire on the messy bed, he opened his mouth and called for the last person he hadn’t found yet. “Doori-kun!”

“Dai-chan! Dai-chan!”

Relief flooded in Daisuke as he ran towards the source of voice. Doori’s shouts came from the closed door, followed by erratic banging sound. “Doori-kun! Are you okay?”

“Kei-chan locked me in! Let me out, Dai-chan, let me out!”

Daisuke didn’t stop to think. He merely kicked the door open and Doori jumped out the closet, his face as pale as a sheet. “Oh, no.” It was all he said before he made a beeline towards Minami and sat on the bed next to him. “Kei-chan! Kei-chan! Wake up so I can kill you!”

“Doori-kun!” Daisuke intervened. “What are you talking about?!”

“He knocked me out and locked me in, Dai-chan! He kept me in the closet while he and Baba-chan and Naito-chan fought like crazy against those vampires!”

Opening his mouth, Daisuke was going to counter the argument, but he was silenced when he realized something.

“You’re wearing Kei-chan’s shirt.” It wasn’t a question, and Daisuke knew why. Minami wanted to mask Doori’s human scent by his own and locked him in the closet so nobody could find him. Doori flinched; it was obvious that he hadn’t realized it until Daisuke pointed that out, and the effect was instant. The anger dissipated immediately, replaced by sadness. Despite that, his tone was bordering on hysterical when he shook the unconscious vampire’s shoulders.

“Kei-chan, wake up, dammit! KEI-CHAN! YOU CAN’T JUST _LEAVE_!”

As if obeying his donor’s words, Minami’s eyes— _finally_ —opened. He’d returned to his human form, with no more fangs and red eyes. The dark orbs were glazed, and Daisuke hurriedly nudged Doori. “He needs blood. Can you—”

“Yeah, yeah, lemme get my things.” With that, Doori vanished into the closet and was back with a small bag. “If this bothers you, I don’t mind if you leave, Dai-chan.”

“Are you sure?” Anything related to donor was never Daisuke’s favorite cup of tea, but he couldn’t just leave his friends when they needed him. He was sure Doori knew about that. “If you can do it alone, I’ll be outside.”

“Don’t worry about me. You should look after the others, now that Kei-chan’s already up.”

Daisuke obliged and went back to the living room. Vampire-Wannabe didn’t even notice his arrival, and now he had Naito’s head on his lap and his hand buried in his hair. His eyes shone in something Daisuke had never seen before, yet it was nice enough the vampire didn’t want to ruin the moment. So, he merely stood before the bedroom door and waited until his presence was noticeable.

He needed a long time, actually, since Vampire-Wannabe was busy with his own mind and his hand was still stroking Naito’s dyed brown hair. Finally impatient, he slowly walked towards the couch.

“Is he awake?” he asked, breaking the silence.

Vampire-Wannabe jerked and turned at him. “Dai-chan, don’t sneak behind me like that! You almost gave me a heart attack!” he protested and groaned in pain since apparently the sudden movement hurt his body. “To answer your question, yeah. He’s been awake since a few minutes ago, but I think he needs more rest. I dunno how much blows he’s taken in the attack. Other than that, I think he’ll be fine.”

Knowing that Vampire-Wannabe had felt better, Daisuke decided to inquire more. “How many were they?”

“I can’t remember. A lot. Ten… maybe a dozen… maybe more.”

“How did they know Takki’s here?”

“We talked about it before they came. Somehow, Kei-chan thinks they’ve figured out who is behind all those vampire attacks. It only needs a moment to break into this house. They were unlucky that we’re here to stop them.”

 _Which you didn’t_. Those words were ready to jump out Daisuke’s mouth, but he stopped himself. Instead, he said, “I’m just glad you guys are okay.”

“Dai-chan?”

“Huh?”

Vampire-Wannabe didn’t look at Daisuke as he spoke. He merely stared down, at his fellow VD whose head was on his lap. “If… if Taiki-kun said that it’s his fault this attack happened, don’t listen to him, okay? He can be really insufferable if he feels guilty. Just tell him to shut up or ignore him or tell me so I can kick his ass.”

“What do you mean, Ryouma?”

“Remember him breaking the window? Taiki-kun thinks it’s his fault since the broken window could be the clue that Takki’s here. In this _exact_ room.” Vampire-Wannabe inhaled deeply before continuing. Daisuke glanced at the broken window. The rock Naito had used sat nearby, seemingly untouched. “But with or without him throwing it, the attack would have happened anyway. So, can you help me in this, Dai-chan?”

Realization hit the vampire. “You’re protecting him.” _Just like me protecting Mao_.

“Whenever I can…” This time, no denial slid from Vampire-Wannabe’s lips as he continued to caress Naito’s hair. “…his conscience is mine to protect.”

* * *

It took more than an hour for all of them to recover. When they all did, Minami and Doori joined Daisuke, Vampire-Wannabe, and the now conscious Naito in the living room. Daisuke was relieved to see the younger vampire had at least gotten rid of the glazed, unfocused eyes. Doori had done his job well.

“What should we do now?” Daisuke asked to open the conversation.

“Save him, of course.” Unsurprisingly, Naito was the one with that answer. His eyes blazed dangerously. “He’s practically exiled, and those kinds of vampires are my friends.”

“Is it worth it?” Vampire-Wannabe spoke up, looking worried. “It’s not like I don’t like Takki, but I don’t want to face those bloodsuckers—sorry, Dai-chan, Kei-chan—in a useless fight. I hate asking this, but… will he be better in the community’s hands instead? Maybe they’ll take care of him better than us.”

“No. I don’t think so,” Minami answered grimly. “Takki’s drunk, unresponsive, and most probably he can be really dangerous. Don’t forget the fact that he’s killed a lot of humans. It’s basically suicide in his part. The community won’t let him go that easily. If we wanna save him, we should act fast.”

Doori visibly shuddered. “What will happen if we don’t act fast enough, Kei-chan?”

“I don’t know exactly. I just hope they’ve found an unresponsive drunk vampire before Takki, so that won’t interest them as much as it interests me. But since he’s already attacked humans, there are two choices I can see: killing him instantly—”

“That won’t happen,” Daisuke cut in. “Takki’s a public figure. He has fans and under a management. People will look for him if he’s mysteriously gone.”

Minami threw him an irritated look for interrupting his words. “You’re right, Dai-chan. However, the second choice was much worse. They can alter his memories.”

His last words made both Doori and Naito curse. Daisuke remembered how much Doori hated the memory alteration, and for that he understood. Naito, however, was a different case.

“How terrible will the effect be, Kei-chan? What’ll happen to Takki once they’re done with him?” Naito demanded. He sounded purely curious. “I’ve heard about this… _nauseating_ method before. It’s a way to keep you guys under control when detainment and manipulation no longer work.”

“Yes. And the effect is various; I can’t determine which one will happen… especially since I’ve never seen unresponsiveness as a form of a drunken vampire. They can forget everything—” Minami glanced at Daisuke, who shivered. “—or the community can just cover those memories and change it to a happier delusion.”

“The second one sounds nicer,” Vampire-Wannabe commented.

“On the contrary, Baba-chan.” Minami sighed. “The happy delusion may be permanent, but they cannot cover all of the bad things the vampire has done. So… if Takki gets this one, he’ll have those happy memories that don’t actually happen, but he will also have flashes of the grisly murders he’s done. And, believe me, that one’s worse. Even death sounds better, according to them.”

Doori massaged his own temples in frustration. “I’ve always wanted to know why they do that.”

“Punishment, Doori-kun. It’s a form of punishment. Another way to make the wild vampire under control.”

“So, what should we do now?” Daisuke repeated his earlier question.

“Save him, of c—” Naito’s words were cut off abruptly by the sound of the front door falling to the ground. Daisuke, being the one with the best stamina between all of them, rushed to the door, bracing himself for another attack…

“Mao-kun?”

…only to see the one and only Kyousuke Hamao standing on the doorway.

Kyousuke’s eyes showed determination as he stepped on the broken door. Despite that, he didn’t look strange enough for Daisuke to be called as a ‘non-Mao sleepwalker persona’. This was the _real_ Kyousuke, which was pretty relieving. “Took me long enough to get here. Following you is pretty hard, it seems, especially when you used that vampire strength of yours.”

“Mao-kun!”

Daisuke’s assistant didn’t pay him more heed as he stepped into the living room and was welcomed by his friends’ surprised stares.

“Hello, everyone,” he greeted, his tone as light as possible. Daisuke gasped as he finally knew _why_ his assistant was here. “My name is Kyousuke Hamao. As far as I know, I am a normal human being who has worked with a vampire for a while. I am here to help.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	14. Kyousuke, Much to Daisuke’s Dismay

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They get themselves to safety.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally escaped and returned home for two days. A new chapter to celebrate, anyone?
> 
> Enjoy!

“Are you nuts?” Daisuke hissed. “You can get killed if you help us!”

“I’m the one Takki-san is after. I wanna know why.” Kyousuke casually walked towards the empty seat on the couch and just sat down as if he belonged in the group since the beginning. He turned his head at Daisuke, who hurriedly rejoined them. “Dai-chan, you can’t keep everything away from me all the time. I know I’m just a normal human being, but I’m sure I can keep myself safe.”

Daisuke wanted to speak, but Minami cut in before words could jump out his mouth. “That reminds me of something. Mao-kun, do you have any idea why Takki is after you? Did he talk to you or ask you to do things?”

Kyousuke shook his head. “I don’t remember meeting him until a few hours ago. Dai-chan told me about all the letters and how it connected to the victims of those vampire attacks. It actually scares me that all of them kinda look like me, but I didn’t dare telling Dai-chan or he’ll kill himself worrying over me.” He sighed, guilt evident in his face. “I almost did, though, with that silver coin Naito-kun gave me. Sorry, Dai-chan.”

Daisuke itched to rub his cheek, but managed to stop himself. “Don’t mention it.”

Vampire-Wannabe merely stared at them, and Daisuke could see his lips twitched upwards, obviously wanting to know more about that story. If only the situation weren’t so grave, he surely would’ve laughed his ass off. He was enough level-headed to keep his amusement to himself, which was good. Daisuke was in no mood for unnecessary teasing.

“So you did meet him,” Doori piped up.

“Y-yeah…” Kyousuke sounded dazed for some reason. “My memory’s kinda fuzzy. Maybe I was distracted when we met. I don’t even _remember_ what we talked about. Well…” A pause as Kyousuke wrecked his brain. “Not _exactly_. We met when I was going to see Dai-chan’s rehearsal. I think I was in a hurry… so he asked me to see him again when I have time.”

“Did you?” Daisuke asked.

“No. I got busy and it just slipped my mind. He didn’t contact me as well.”

Naito turned to Minami. “Kei-chan, what do you think?”

“I don’t know…” Minami turned to Daisuke’s assistant. “Can you remember _when_ you two met, Mao-kun? If you can’t remember, maybe an event related near that time?”

“Lemme think about it.” After a while of silence, he continued. “Oh. It’s a long time ago, I think. The nearest thing I can remember after that is the outing announcement. Maybe one or two days before Kinoshita-san told Dai-chan I’d be handling the event. Why?”

“Well… the least theory I can come up with is that something stirs Takki’s emotional state and influences his savagery as a vampire. What I can assure is that he wasn’t a vampire during TeniMyu, or I would’ve noticed. But the attacks have started before the three of us taped for Triple Zone, so he must’ve become a vampire around that time. Too bad that I didn’t try to identify his scent back then.”

“Maybe the meeting was on the day the first vampire attack occurred!” Naito exclaimed.

 _That makes sense_ , Daisuke told himself. “Are you saying that him meeting Mao has something to do with the attacks, Kei-chan?”

“That’s the first thing that came to mind, Dai-chan. I hope Mao-kun can remember more, because we might be able to find out what he said.” He gazed at Kyousuke. “Take all the time you need, don’t worry. It’s hard whenever memories are concerned, so I won’t push you.”

“Kei-chan,” Vampire-Wannabe called. “What do you mean with Takki’s emotional state?”

“Some vampires can’t balance their bloodthirsty nature and their emotional state, especially when they just turned into one. When they’re extremely distressed or angry, they’ll be much more vicious. I don’t know about Takki’s emotional state since he was alright whenever we meet, but Takki attacks people who look like Mao-kun. What I’m saying is… perhaps there is something about Mao-kun that triggers him.”

Daisuke glanced at his assistant next to him, who looked like he was going to say something but nothing could come out. “Are you alright, Mao-kun?” he asked gently.

“I wish I can help more.” Kyousuke was pale, but his expression hardened. “And I will.”

“I can’t bring you into danger more than I already did.” _His conscience is mine to protect_ , Vampire-Wannabe’s words rang in Daisuke’s head. “Mao-kun, telling you about my past is scary enough for me, okay? I don’t want anything bad to happen to you.”

Kyousuke didn’t say anything else, but somehow, someway, their hands found each other and linked themselves, tightly and warmly and at that moment… everything was just _fine_. 

* * *

Knowing full well that they couldn’t stay there any longer in case of another attack, Naito got them to his house. He insisted that Vampire-Wannabe driving Minami’s car, while he used his motorbike. It led into another argument between the two VDs, thus their friends—namely Kyousuke and Daisuke, the only ones with heads clear enough—had to intervene. In the end, Kyousuke went with Naito on the motorcycle, and Daisuke drove the rest of them in Minami’s car.

The house was empty and quiet and deemed safe enough. If Takki revealed Kyousuke’s name as his main target, most probably no one would search for him in _Naito’s house_. Also, according to Naito, if they dared to do so, he would’ve been more than happy to lock them in his family’s silver workspace.

Daisuke shivered when he remembered Naito suggesting that. That would be such a torturous way to die.

Naito also ordered his friends—well, mostly Vampire-Wannabe, who had a filming session as soon as the sun rose—to ‘catch some sleep so we can think this over in the morning’. He made sure to bandage Minami’s wounds despite the fact that there was no more blood. In Vampire-Wannabe’s case, he _plastered_ an ice pack on his face. For Doori, he practically dragged the youngest human to bed and told him to just ‘go to sleep and don’t worry, Kei-chan is here too’.

Daisuke and Kyousuke, the only ones with no scratch, made themselves productive by helping around. The vampire helped in bandaging Minami while Kyousuke talked to Doori, aiding him to sleep. In the end, it was Naito’s turn to hit the bed, and Daisuke watched as Kyousuke tucked him in, thanking the VD for everything he’d done to protect all of them.

Naito smirked. “Mao-kun, I’ve lived with hatred towards a drop of vampire’s blood in my body. Pissing off the community is the best thing I can do.”

“Please don’t endanger yourself,” Daisuke said from the bedroom wall where he was leaning against.

“I promised Baba-chan I won’t do anything unless they harm my friends, and that’s what they’re doing now.”

“I don’t know Takki’s your friend.”

The smirk on Naito’s lips widened as Kyousuke pulled the blanket so it covered half of his body. “Dai-chan, he is Kei-chan and Doori-kun’s friend. I believe he is innocent, that his vampire urges are merely something he’s not able to control yet. He doesn’t deserve to be treated the way that vampire community does to the unlucky ones in the grooming house.” He turned his body so his back was the only thing facing them, yet Daisuke was sure the smirk remained. “For me, that’s enough. And you _do_ know what lengths I’m willing to take for _my_ _friends_.”

“Yes, I do. Goodnight, Naito-kun.” Daisuke chuckled, even though the sound of the old grooming house exploding rang in his ears. “C’mon, Mao.”

They walked out the door, not answering Naito’s sleepy ‘g’night guys’ from the room.

“Dai-chan, where do you wanna sleep?”

Daisuke looked around the corridor. They could easily fill into the guest room, but he didn’t want to wake their friends, and he was sure neither did Kyousuke. “I guess I can stay on the couch. I forgot to put out extra futons for both of us. Do you wanna come with me or sleep with the others?”

“Sofa or bed?”

“Well, no more beds, but a futon might work. Damn it, I think those are still in the guest room.”

“Anything is good.” Kyousuke made his choice a bit faster than usual. “I’m going with you.”

A few minutes later they’d settled on the couches—Naito’s family owned some comfortable ones—and Kyousuke yawned. It was obvious that he tried to mask it, but failed miserably. Daisuke grinned at him, and it became wider when he saw blush creeping on his assistant’s fair cheeks.

“Go to sleep, Mao-kun. You have three hours ‘till morning.”

Kyousuke rolled his eyes. “You too, Dai-chan. Lucky you for having days off. At least I can arrange your next week’s photo sessions without falling down in exhaustion.”

“Goodnight, Mao.”

“Uh… g’night… Dai-chan.” With that, he was out like a light.

Daisuke watched him for a while before he stood and made his way towards him. As if driven by an unexplainable force, he pushed Kyousuke’s light brown bangs from his brow and placed a soft kiss on it. “Be safe,” he whispered, pouring all his feelings towards his assistant because this was the only time when he could. “ _Always_ be safe, Mao.”

When he returned to the other couch, he’d been too sleepy to find out, but he felt a pair of eyes watching his back. The feeling disappeared after sleepiness took over him whole like a strong force of a stormy ocean, and Daisuke Watanabe stopped caring.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I cannot resist the 'sofa or bed' pun again. I swear it's funnier in my head.
> 
> I'm still nervous for a lot of reason. Wish me luck? I'll try to update as soon as I can get rid of this feeling XD
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	15. Starting Day(s)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As they plan, Minami and Doori come up with their past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated in the middle of my trip because why not XD
> 
> A bit longer chapter here.  
> Title is taken from the film Free! Starting Days.  
> Anyone still with me? Enjoy! :)

Daisuke woke up with Kyousuke’s bright smile as something he first saw. “Mao-kun?”

“Morning, Vampire-san. Glad that you’re up. Let’s have breakfast.”

It was a quiet one. Vampire-Wannabe had left to fulfill his schedule, but promised to be back before lunchtime just to check on them, much to Naito’s dismay (‘we are not kids, Baba-chan!’). Meanwhile, Naito called in sick, and so did Doori and Minami. In the latter’s case, he was still too tired to even _move_ properly, even though the wounds were almost healed.

“What will you do now?” Daisuke inquired, sipping on his coffee. It was not a nice substitute to retail blood, but he didn’t want to bother anyone or go home just to fetch one from his stash. “Naito-kun, do you have any plans?”

“First thing first,” the VD answered. “We need to find out which grooming house has him.”

“How?” Doori asked bitterly. “There are hundreds of them in this country.”

“Just finish your breakfast, and I’ll tell you. Me and Kei-chan have talked about this before you guys woke up.”

Curious, Daisuke was done with his meal quicker than usual. Kyousuke smiled at him but said nothing as he ate his sandwich in a much slower pace. He was lucky that he didn’t eat sweets for breakfast (this time), since Daisuke was ready with a lecture if the human dared to do so. Doori copied Daisuke and choked on his milk, which made him end up being the last between the four of them, much to his chagrin.

After they were all done, Naito led them to the living room. “Alright, alright. Now listen to me. I have this friend who has the access to all grooming houses in Japan. The library, the archives in particular, is his second home. Name one member and he’ll come up with a stack of address. Awesome, right? Kei-chan also says that this is a good idea.” He pulled out his phone from his pocket and dialed a number before putting it on loudspeaker.

 _“Moshi moshi?”_ asked the sound from across the line. Daisuke didn’t recognize it.

Naito’s tone turned much more cheerful. “Heeeey there! How do you do, Kei?”

Daisuke glanced at Minami, who frowned. It made him wonder whether the wounded vampire had known _who_ exactly Naito was calling despite them had talked about a plan before the rest of them woke up. _Maybe not… Naito-kun can be very secretive if he wants to. All we can do now is trust him_.

_“Taiki-kun, seriously? I’m in the middle of a rehearsal here.”_

“Aw, too bad!” Naito laughed, his eyes twinkled strangely, as if he wanted to reveal something important. “I’m just wanna ask you something. Please, please, please? Hawaiian Mushroom Prince… or should I say _Hawaiian Princess_?”

There was a gasp from Kei’s side and a sudden sound of running. _“Dammit, Taiki-kun, at least gimme some warning first, will ‘ya? Wait, I need to find an empty room.”_

“Because you’re such an ass if I text you first.”

It took around half a minute to find one, because that was what Kei needed to find a place where he could be alone. _“Alright, I’m on my own here. Spill.”_

Naito did; his tone much more serious at this moment. “We have a condition here. There’s this guy, a fellow stage actor. Thing is, we think he’s behind the recent vampire attacks and he’s been kidnapped and we’re gonna save him. I’m not letting him being roasted by the community, Kei, so help us find him.”

Kei’s laugh that followed was humorless. _“So you can take care of him yourself? That’s so very much you.”_

“Not this time, moron,” Naito retorted. “He’s a friend of us. You know Takki, right? Takiguchi-san. Poor guy’s become a drunk, unresponsive vampire, and he’s likely to be dead if we don’t act fast enough.”

 _“Ouch. Unresponsive, drunk vampire? That’s a bad combination.”_ A pause. _“But what will you do if he’s back to your hands? I know that guy, nice one. But none of us are good in handling that kind of bloodsucker, okay? Taiki-kun, you have to think of yourself for once.”_

“At least he doesn’t die! We’ll find out what happened to him!” Doori joined the conversation fiercely. Thanks to his outburst, Naito was forced relay the message—even though the human was loud enough—and told Kei all the people who were listening to their conversation right now, which made him laugh for some reason.

_“Hello there, everyone. I think I haven’t really met you guys before, even though I’ve seen Daisuke-san a few times.”_

“Huh?” Daisuke let out a sound of confusion. “Me?”

Kei chuckled. _“Yeah. 4 th Gen Tezuka’s stand-in, right? We rival schools knew well about your reputation.”_

“Rival sch—”

“Save the introduction for later, Kei,” Naito cut in impatiently. “Can you help us?”

 _“Of course. Exiled vampires are ours, especially the ones who are our friends_ for real _. Any clue what kind of grooming house I should look up? Maybe a name?”_

Minami’s head jerked up as if something just dawned over him. “Hey, find one with excellent mind-alteration vampires in it, okay?” he spoke near the phone. “There’s a big possibility of Takki being taken to them. Unstable vampires like him are most likely to be mind-altered so they can be under control as soon as possible.”

_“Noted. Any names, Minami-san?”_

Daisuke saw his fellow vampire glanced at Doori before replying, and wondered why.

“Yuuta! Find a grooming house with that name! Vampires with the name _Yuuta_!”

It was Doori’s turn to jerk towards Minami as if he’d been electrocuted. His expression changed from excited to pure _ferociousness_. He was simply _angry_ , for some reason. It was something Daisuke had never seen before. Unfortunately, nobody but the vampire noticed that, for Kei had answered from across the line.

 _“Okay. I’ll see what I can do. Just keep your phone close. See you guys later.”_ He paused for a few seconds. _“Don’t do anything stupid, Sleepy Blue.”_

Naito laughed. “No, I won’t. Thanks, Princess.”

_“Shut up. Tell BabaRyo I said hello. I’ll tell everyone you called.”_

With that, Kei disconnected the call. Minami gazed at Naito incredulously. “Is he the Kei I’m thinking about?”

The only VD grinned and opened a picture in his phone, showing Kei’s face to everyone present in the room. “Hawaiian Mushroom Princess. Once lived in Hawaii, used to have mushroom hair, and sometimes acts like a princess. Vampire-Descent, Anti-Vampire Group. Not really up for fights, but he's the best archivist in this country. Living up as an actor and a model. Real name? Kei Hosogai.” 

* * *

As promised, Vampire-Wannabe appeared during lunchtime and decided to have one in Naito’s house. He was satisfied to know that Kei had been contacted, and the name of a grooming house was sent to Naito’s phone while they were having lunch. Vampire-Wannabe, with Kyousuke’s help, traced the name to a castle-like building, around an hour train ride.

Daisuke shuddered when he saw the castle, which earned him a reassuring pat from his oldest friend. “Don’t worry, Dai-chan. Hooligans’ Headquarters looked nothing like this place.”

“Really?”

“Hey, I’m a reincarnation, remember? I have that guy’s entire memories. How Hooligans’ Headquarters look like is one of the most unforgettable.”

“How did it look like?”

Vampire-Wannabe didn’t take long to answer. “Darker and lighter at the same time. It looks like a place where you can feel safe, but you still have to watch for your own back sometimes. Oh, it was colder, too. This—” He pointed at the picture of the castle in Naito’s laptop. “—is pure beauty. Should be a hotel, but why on earth this is a grooming house? Huh. Guess we will never know.”

Daisuke smiled thinly. “Thank you, Ryouma.”

“Don’t mention it.”

They left it at that and were back to the current ‘saving mission’. Strangely enough, Doori was the most… excited between them all. He was even more hyped up than Naito, who was nothing but bouncing on his heels on the prospect of attacking Daisuke’s kind.

“We should go now!” he announced, mouth half-full with the bento both Daisuke and Minami had prepared for all of them. It was so comical that most of them chuckle, despite the grave situation they were having.

“No,” Minami replied calmly, but Daisuke could see his face paling a little. “We can’t just go there unplanned. Grooming houses are dangerous. You, above all people, should have known that.”

“So let’s plan,” Vampire-Wannabe replied. “Any ideas?”

The rest of them were quick to join the conversation. “Should we ambush them immediately or sneak ourselves in?”

“An ambush seems to be a very wonderful idea.”

Vampire-Wannabe rolled his eyes at Naito, who’d spoken. “Taiki-kun, _seriously_?”

“What? Imagining things won’t hurt.”

“There are hundreds of them and six of us!”

Daisuke tuned out their bantering as he turned at his other friends. “Sneaking ourselves in, then. That sounds much more peaceful, so I think that’s a better option.”

“How?” Kyousuke asked. “Should we act as vampires or something?”

“Those two VDs will do well in that,” Minami answered, glancing at both Naito and Vampire-Wannabe who apparently were still in their own world. “However, it’s hard to control Naito-kun’s… urges, and they have different scent than normal vampires. If someone’s keen enough, they can get caught even though they have red eyes or fangs or both.”

“What do you suggest?”

“Um… maybe—”

“I have an idea!” Doori suddenly exclaimed, stopping everyone from speaking, even the two VDs who were busy arguing playfully at one corner of the dining table. “I remember when I entered the grooming house for the first time. I was guided by a vampire. He showed me everything I needed to know, like rooms and such.”

“Wait,” Kyousuke cut in. “Are you saying that we should act as a vampire and a _human being_?”

“Yes, technically.” Doori’s eyes lighted up in excitement. “Me and Kei-chan will get in there. Since I’m still human, they’ll buy the pretense of Kei-chan, a vampire, bringing me, a human being, into the grooming house as if it were my first day living in there! How’s it?” He turned to Minami. “What do you think, Kei-chan?”

“I don’t think it’s a good idea.” Before Doori could protest, he’d continued, his tone slipped into something akin to desperation. “They’ve known us for years, Doori-kun! They’ve known me even longer than they know you! What if they manage to get us again? I don’t wanna go back there anymore, okay?”

“There are hundreds of them, and mostly are out already after they’re old enough! I bet my friends have found their own places away from the grooming house! Nobody will recognize us!”

“No! Sneaking ourselves in? I’m staying away and so do you!”

Doori swallowed the remains of his meal and was quick as a lightning as he made his way towards the vampire at the other side of the table. His face showed the ferociousness Daisuke had seen a while ago, and it was frightening. “Kei-chan, you’re _coming_ with us, right?”

Minami’s change of expression was enough answer for all of them, and enough fuel to anger Doori. “KEI-CHAN, HOW DARE YOU?!” he bellowed, his voice echoing in every side of the house. “I thought Takki’s your friend!”

“Doori-kun! Use your head for once!” Minami jumped to his feet. “You fought tooth and nail to get us outta there, and I’m just appreciating that! It’s not like we won’t do anything, but I’d rather kill myself than stepping into that place again!”

“You’re breaking our promise!” Doori yelled. “Don’t you dare staying away from this because it’s our only chance for us to fulfill it!” He let out a mirthless laugh. “I promised to free The Prodigy; to take him away from that place! He’s waiting for us, I know it! So, don’t you dare chicken out, Kei-chan, because his freedom was the one I traded for yours!”

Minami’s head reeled as if he’d been slapped. “Doori-kun—” He wasn’t able to say anything more as Kyousuke made his way between them and put his hands on their shoulders.

“I’ll be the human, so you don’t need to worry.”

Doori’s eyes widened and Daisuke spoke without thinking. “If Mao’s the one in, I’ll act as the vampire.”

“But—”

“Dai-chan’s right,” Vampire-Wannabe said, cutting Doori’s words. He looked at his friends solemnly. “If he and Mao-kun are the ones sneaking in, and according to you, Doori-kun, there will be no chance for those vampires to recognize them. We can prepare ourselves in case we need to do an open attack or something. I hate to say this but… Taiki-kun, prepare our backup.”

A mean grin crossed Naito’s face. “Gladly.”

And everything was settled.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Princess in Kei Hosogai is a reference to his role as Izumi Takabayashi in Takumi-kun II. According to his wiki, he indeed used to live in Hawaii, hence his good English. Mushroom is a reference for his hair as Hiyoshi in Hyoutei B.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	16. He Just Loves You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> "Always be safe. Promise me."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're getting closer to the fight scenes. Wonder if you're expecting that too?  
> Updated in the last day of my trip. In case you are wondering, I'm in London, and Chapter 15 was up in Birmingham. This story is precious to me and keeping it parallel to my trip makes it feel more special.
> 
> Also, happy (belated) birthday, Kyousuke Hamao! Keep being awesome :)
> 
> Enjoy this chapter, anyway!

The second thing after the plan was dealing with the weapons. Doori didn’t say anything as Naito packed some silver items and weapons he’d brought from his family’s workplace. Vampire-Wannabe helped, while explaining some of them to Minami. It seemed like Naito managed to develop some of them, much to Vampire-Wannabe’s joy.

Doori sat at a corner, glaring at everyone, not even budging when Vampire-Wannabe tried to speak to him. After a while, Daisuke caught his assistant looking at the other human worriedly, and decided that he could do something. “Maybe you can try to talk to him?” he suggested in a volume that only Kyousuke could hear. “You humans are around the same age, right? Maybe he will listen to you.”

“He’s younger than me by six months.” A small smile crossed Kyousuke’s lips as he pulled something out his pocket. It was a candy, one of his favorites. “I’ll see what I can do.”

With that, he left Daisuke’s side and approached Doori’s, offering him the candy. Daisuke watched as they whispered between themselves and finally left the room. He turned at the rest of them, still chatting animatedly about the silver items. Vampire-Wannabe looked downright _greedy_ as he poured the silver coins into the bag.

“The more time goes,” Minami muttered. “The more they act like each other.”

“And they say they have nothing between them,” Daisuke replied.

Minami laughed tiredly. “I wonder what Baba-chan meant with backup. Naito-kun’s told me about it, but I still don’t have any idea who they are.”

“Just ask him.” Daisuke’s suggestion was simple.

“I did, and it didn’t end well. He did assure me that it’s his anti-vampire group and when I asked further he closed up.” He sighed, but his eyes had turned red, showing anger. He bared his fangs at Naito’s direction. “He even went as far as getting Doori-kun away from me!”

Obviously hearing their conversation, Naito was next to them in a flash. “Don’t twist my words, Kei-chan,” he hissed, his eyes had turned as red as Minami’s. “You threatened to chicken out in this mission, and you know how Doori-kun feels about it! I won’t keep him away, _you yourself_ is doing that just fine!”

Minami was going to retort, but Daisuke quickly intervened. “Please calm down, you two. It won’t do any good if we’re fighting like this.”

A long silence. Naito was in a fighting position, ready whenever Minami launched himself towards him. Vampire-Wannabe braced himself a few steps behind Naito. Daisuke’s hands curled into fists, waiting. But finally Minami leaned back with a sigh, rubbing his temples. He was still a vampire, yet it was obvious that he was trying to calm himself down. “You’re right, Dai-chan. Sorry, Naito-kun.”

“No harm done, Kei-chan.” Naito smiled at him, returning to his human form. It was amazing to see how fast he could control himself sometimes. He sat down near Daisuke, when Vampire-Wannabe took a seat on the floor next to Minami. “But can you tell us why are you acting like this? We’ve known how much you hate that place, but we need you.” He paused. “ _Doori-kun_ needs you.”

“I know. This just makes me sick, you know? All this mind-altering business. I don’t want Takki to go through that, but… returning there scares me more than I can imagine.”

Something dawned on Vampire-Wannabe and he suddenly grabbed Minami’s shoulder. “Kei-chan,” he called in a tone that demanded immediate answer. “Why are you so… stubborn? Was… uh, was your mind altered?”

Color drained from Minami’s face and pity washed the three of them because they just _knew_.

“They got me under the second choice. _For decades_ , even before Doori-kun came,” Minami croaked out, burying his face in his palms. His next words were muffled, but still audible. “Oh, shit. Doori-kun… keep this away from that kid, okay? He doesn’t need to know. Whatever happy delusion I have is real enough for him and I’ll do anything to keep it that way.”

Daisuke bit his lip. He, above all people, knew full well what effect of mind-alteration would do to him. And he had it better; at least they intended to make him _forget_ , not trap him in something between bliss and terror. “I’m sorry to hear that, Kei-chan. You’re safe now, please keep that in mind.” It was the least thing he could say.

“Doori-kun is happy,” Naito assured. “He’ll do anything for you. He told me that once.”

“Then it’s real enough.” Minami looked up with a ghost of a smile on his lips. “And I’ll do anything to make him happy, including getting myself in this mess.” 

* * *

“I believe this is yours,” Naito cheerfully handed Daisuke his old weapon, used in the mission to save Minami. The dagger felt heavy in the vampire’s hand, yet the familiarity was soothing. Daisuke played with the silver blade, safely hidden in the brown sheath. _It's been a while_ , he thought.

“Press the button, Dai-chan,” Naito piped up from behind him. “Baba-chan’s tweaked the sheath a bit. You’ll like it.”

Daisuke obliged and pressed the button. As predicted, the silver dagger lengthened, but the sheath followed. Naito laughed. “See? This way you can secretly make it a sword without hurting yourself.”

“Thank you,” the vampire said earnestly. “What about Mao, by the way?”

“Don’t worry about him. He has his weapons and knows how to use them. Oh, there’s something else I haven’t given you two.” The VD picked something from the table, which turned out to be a necklace. “This is a bell, connected to us outside. If you two are in danger, press this and it’ll be our signal to get ourselves in. If my prediction is correct, and if you two keep a low profile, they won’t recognize you for hours.”

“How do you know that?”

“Princess sent me the complete inner map of that grooming house. Minus the secret rooms, of course, but it’s better than nothing. Kei-chan and Doori-kun can’t help either; this is not the same grooming house where they lived before. However, Baba-chan made a path that you can take to the room where they most probably will do the mind-alteration process. We’ve confirmed it to Doori-kun, who said it was indeed where his friend, The Prodigy, spends most of his time because it’s existed since he was still there. Funnily enough, it’s called Yuuta’s Room.”

“Do you know who this ‘Yuuta’ is?”

Naito shook his head, but he led Daisuke towards his open laptop and opened several files. Some blurry pictures were displayed on the screen, and two figures existed in all of them. One of them wore glasses with a mop of black hair, wearing a white robe like some kind of a doctor, while the other was slightly taller and had dark brown hair and dressed more like a normal guy Daisuke would meet on the streets. “We have their images, but no last names. Which is sad, really, because they are masters in mind-alteration. It was easy to find the grooming house that has them, thanks to that popularity.”

“How about The Prodigy?”

A disappointed look crossed Naito’s face. “Doori-kun doesn’t even know his real name, and I fail to find any pictures. What I know that the kid is one of his closest friends. He gave the nickname because he always thinks that kid’s great in everything, particularly singing. I think he’s not allowed to go outside the grooming house, which is why I can’t obtain any more information about him.”

“One of his closest friends?” Daisuke mused. “That explains why he’s so determined. I wonder what he meant by trading The Prodigy’s freedom with Kei-chan’s.”

Naito shrugged and turned off his laptop. “It’s something we’ll learn after this is done. I just hope all goes smoothly so we can hear the rest of the story.”

“Oi, Naito-kun?”

“Yes, Dai-chan?”

“If…” Somehow it was difficult to get the words out of his mouth. But when he managed to do so, it poured out like a waterfall and he found himself rambling. “If me and Mao are in danger, get him out first, okay? Don’t think about me because I’ll be just fine. I… I’ll stand more chance in that place, being a vampire and all. He’s my first priority, and I won’t forgive myself if something happens to him. Swear on it, will you?”

The VD regarded him seriously and nodded. “Mao-kun’s your treasure, Dai-chan, and you are ours. And we’ll gladly _destroy_ anyone who dares to touch our treasure. C’mon, we need to get ready.”

* * *

The journey towards the grooming house was longer than expected, even though Vampire-Wannabe was the one driving Minami’s car and his speeding talent was nothing to be questioned. In the meantime, Naito and Kyousuke rode next to the car on the motorcycle, around the same speed. From the backseat, Daisuke waved at them every once in a while, and his assistant imitated his gesture and smiled.

The smile was strained, and almost hidden under the darkness, but for Daisuke it was enough comfort. He smiled back, wondering whether Kyousuke could see him from behind the window. He wanted to open it, but he didn’t want to risk anything. It wouldn’t do any good if they were discovered too early.

As planned, Vampire-Wannabe parted ways with Naito somewhere along the way. They had to get a place where they could park Minami’s car without being discovered, while Naito tried to do the same with his motorbike. After a while of searching, they managed to park the car on a secluded area in parking lot of a convenience store.

Daisuke stepped out the car once he was able to do so, feeling much more nervous than his last mission. It wasn’t himself that he was worried about, and everybody knew it.

“Don’t worry, Dai-chan,” Doori assured, patting his arm as they made their way towards the small forest that surrounded the grooming house. “Mao-kun knows what he’s getting himself into. Naito-chan won’t let him fight if he doesn’t. You might’ve not known this, but they’re pretty close, especially when you and silver jewelries are concerned.”

The human had a point, but Daisuke couldn’t calm himself down. “Doori-kun, if—”

“I know, I know. Mao-kun will be saved first.” Doori smiled weakly. “That’s exactly what Kei-chan would say. Wonder why you vampires are so selfless.”

“He just loves you.”

The smile widened suddenly. “And what about _you_ , Dai-chan?”

Daisuke didn’t respond, yet he felt his face get hotter and hoped Doori didn’t see it. They maintained their silence until they reached their destination; a point in the forest where they could see the front part of the grooming house but still hidden by the trees. Naito and Kyousuke had arrived first and their gestures told Daisuke that they both were just as agitated.

“Remember what we’ve planned,” Vampire-Wannabe declared. His expression was unreadable as he turned to Daisuke. “Go. Good luck, you two.”

“C’mon, Dai-chan,” Kyousuke said, and that was when Daisuke realized that he hadn’t moved an inch.

“Okay.” Daisuke turned to the rest of them. “Make sure you can hear our signal.”

“We will.” Minami nodded solemnly. “Dai-chan, Mao-kun… thank you.”

Kyousuke smiled. “No problem. Let’s go, Dai-chan.”

Before their friends disappeared from view, Daisuke caught the sight of Doori grabbing Minami’s hand and held tight. He looked at his assistant and did the same, startling him.

“Dai-chan—”

“Always be safe, Mao-kun.” He squeezed the smaller hand before letting go, and his voice was frantic. “We’re in this together, but I’m begging you, _keep yourself safe_.”

It was Kyousuke’s turn to take Daisuke’s hand, stopping their walk. He tugged the hand so Daisuke was forced to take a step forward. Now he was much closer to him than he had ever been in their entire time together. “Vampire or not, assistant or not, Dai-chan, you’re my top priority, and you’ll always be. So, you better keep that in mind, too.”

The kiss was quick, and Daisuke’s cheek burned right on the place where Kyousuke had put his lips on. Not in a bad way, but _still_. They stared at each other for a while, their eyes wide. They didn’t need to worry; they hadn’t gone outside the forest, thus nobody would be able to see them (their friends excluded, but Daisuke didn’t think about them _right now because Mao is the only thing exists in this world_ ). Still, it felt right and _damn wrong_ at the same time… it felt like a goodbye and Daisuke didn’t know how to react.

Fortunately, Kyousuke knew. He broke their staring contest, and his voice was hoarse as he said, “We’ll be fine, so let’s get this over with.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> How's that *coughpeckcough* going?
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated!


	17. The Plan is Simple

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The plan is simple. Making it to action... not so much.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello? Anybody home? No? :"D  
> I have a terrible mood swing and I hope it doesn't affect my writing. Anyway. Enjoy!

The plan was simple. 

Kyousuke would pose as a human being—a _runaway_ —and Daisuke was a vampire that found him. He would bring Kyousuke to the grooming house after convincing him for ‘a better living’. That was how Doori was taken to this place after he saw the blood-donating ad, and he’d made sure both of them could play it perfectly.

The dagger felt cold strapped on Daisuke’s back, despite it being tucked safely in its warmer sheath and hidden under the long jacket Vampire-Wannabe had given him. It no longer offered the soothing sensation like it had been in Naito’s house. The grooming house was dark and just as cold, but Daisuke could see a lamp being turned on from inside after he’d knocked the front door for a while.

“What are you doing here so late at night?”

Daisuke was taken aback; he wasn’t expecting that kind of question. But Minami had warned him on the way here that most of the vampires didn’t ask for names. They preferred anonymity unless they wanted to be friends. The same went to their relationship with the teenagers in the house, since they usually befriended other humans. It made Daisuke realize that whatever Minami had with Doori was special.

“Found this kid,” he said, trying to make his voice as gruff as possible. With him being a vampire, it wasn’t that difficult to do so. The vampire raised his eyebrow at him and he hurriedly turned back to a normal human being, cursing inwardly. For a while, he’d forgotten that Kyousuke wasn’t supposed to know his real form. But at least, it was enough confirmation for the mythical creature before them. “He saw a blood-donating ad and wanted to come here.”

As he spoke, Daisuke glanced at Kyousuke and had to suppress a surprised gasp. Under the light from inside the grooming house, he was finally able to see that Naito had made Kyousuke as _dirty_ as he could. His assistant looked like he’d just come out of a fight, with crumpled clothes and hair mussed so badly it looked more like a bird’s nest and… _is that a bruise on his cheek I see what the hell did Naito-kun do to him?!_

When he could tear his eyes away from the human, he saw that the vampire’s gluttonous look. He looked like he was going to _devour_ Kyousuke right on that doorway, and Daisuke was forced to think about his next words just to get his assistant away from his scrutiny. “Can we get in? Kid needs rest.”

“I see.” The look was masked with a smile. That way, he looked like a fatherly figure that matched his physical appearance. Despite that, Daisuke wasn’t relieved at all. “Come on in, kid. Let’s see if we have a room you can use. How old are you?”

“Sixteen,” Kyousuke, in his twenties, lied in a small voice.

“I see. Follow me.”

The path towards the sleeping quarters was long, but both Daisuke and Kyousuke had anticipated that. As they walked in the dim corridor, Kyousuke risked a glance towards his patron and smiled thinly. It was the best he could offer at this moment.

 _It’s okay_ , Daisuke screamed in his mind even though nobody could hear him.

Eventually the vampire before them stopped in front of a door. “This is the room I can offer you, with the last remaining bed. Rest here and we’ll talk to the Headmistress tomorrow.”

“Headmistress?” Kyousuke asked, feigning confusion. Minami and Doori had told them about the ‘high-rank’ vampires that were responsible for each grooming house and how the blood-donating process that went in them. Some liked to be referred with names like Your Highness or Master or Headmistress. Back then, Doori had thought of it as a joke, until he discovered the horrible nature of the grooming house. “Is this a school?”

“That’s just a nickname,” the vampire replied easily, as if he was used to this kind of question. “Anyway, just go to sleep. The blood donation will be held in two days, so you better get into your best shape by then.”

“I will.” Kyousuke bowed in gratitude. “Thank you. But… if you please, can I have a word with this guy here? I want to thank him personally.”

The vampire raised his eyebrow as he stared hard at Daisuke, whose heart beat so hard he was afraid it would burst. Their eyes locked for a while and the vampire relented for some reason. “I’ll leave you two, then. Good night and I’ll see you tomorrow morning, kid.”

They watched as the vampire walked away and finally disappeared behind one of the doors. Once safe enough, Kyousuke grabbed Daisuke’s hand and quickly dragged him into the room he was assigned to. Just like the map they’d read, that was merely one of the bedrooms, made for the teenage humans who stayed in the place.

“It’s better than I thought,” Kyousuke breathed out. “Looks more like a dormitory.”

Daisuke sighed. “Ignorance is bliss. Poor Doori-kun.”

“Right. Now, what should we do, Dai-chan?”

“Like the plan. Wait until all is dark outside, and we’ll find Yuuta’s Room.”

To make things convincing, Kyousuke took the remaining bed in the room—lucky for them it was the closest to the door—and Daisuke rolled himself to hide under it. They waited until the corridor was dark for a while to put their plan into motion. Kyousuke placed a pillow as a replacement of his sleeping form and helped Daisuke from under the bed.

“Ready?” the vampire asked gently.

Kyousuke squeezed his hand as an answer, while putting the other inside his pocket. “As ready as I can be. Let’s do this.”

Daisuke slowly opened the door. The darkness didn’t look suspicious, and Kyousuke joined him back on the corridor soon after. Daisuke didn’t find anything fishy, but maybe that was because he wasn’t fast enough when all the lights went on, temporarily blinding him. That was when all hell broke loose and the earlier vampire’s voice rang in the entire grooming house.

“IT’S WATANABE FROM THE HOOLIGANS!”

* * *

The first attack was quick, but Daisuke managed to pull out his sword from the hidden place behind his back. A vampire, totally not expecting his weapon, was stabbed right on her heart for jumping right in front of him. Daisuke watched as she toppled down like a broken tree, suddenly lifeless. He didn’t have the time to think, for the rest had reacted as well. In a flash, there was other two of the bloodsuckers launched themselves towards him, and Daisuke almost missed them. He escaped by sliding on the floor and slit one of their throats.

“Dammit, Hooligan,” the other exclaimed, loud enough for Daisuke to hear. At the nickname, Daisuke froze, which resulted in him being pinned against the wall, blocking almost all the view. “Still strong and just as annoying!”

“Get the hell away from me,” Daisuke hissed, as menacing as possible in his position. “We’re not doing anything!”

“Hooligans are not supposed to come near the grooming house anymore!” a yell was heard behind them. Daisuke recognized it as the earlier vampire. “Kill him before the Headmistress finds o— _ARGH!_ ”

Daisuke was unable to see what happened, but he gained his answer when a rope tied the neck of the vampire that was holding him. It took Daisuke a few seconds to know that it wasn’t a usual rope—it was made of _silver_. The vampire screamed in pure agony and Kyousuke Hamao was completely merciless as he gritted out, “Get your hands off _my guardian_ , filthy bloodsucker.”

A jerk of that rope and the vampire fell dead on the floor, leaving Daisuke with wide eyes and slack jaw at the sight he had never seen before. As the weight suddenly leaving him, he sagged and slid from the wall and onto the floor, his eyes locked with Kyousuke’s almond-shaped ones. He was even more astonished at the image before him.

His assistant, who usually was an epitome of innocence, was standing amidst dead bodies of creatures that were supposed to be stronger than him, his eyes flashing as brightly as the silver whip he was gripping in his hand.

* * *

“All clear, Dai-chan?”

“Yes.” Despite his affirmation, Daisuke kept his sword at ready. “Are you okay?”

“For the tenth time, I. Am. Fine,” Kyousuke replied. “Which one is Yuuta’s Room?”

Daisuke pulled out the map Kyousuke had drawn together with Vampire-Wannabe in Naito’s house and began to read, trying to find out where exactly they were. He was lucky the paper was still tucked safely inside his pocket despite everything that had happened. “If this is not wrong, we’re heading towards the right direction. It’s on the end of this path.”

Kyousuke nodded; his gesture almost unseen in the dim corridor. Daisuke relied solely on his vampire senses, which included better sight in the dark, as he guided his assistant towards the room. He glanced at Kyousuke and squeezed his hand, feeling how nervous the human must’ve been—for him this place was practically pitch black.

The gesture was returned. Daisuke turned at him and saw his smile and it was enough as they continued their soundless walk.

It was a matter of minutes when they finally reached the end of the corridor. The vampire reached out and traced the writing carved on the door. He could see it just fine; he just wanted to feel the word. “‘ _Yuuta_ ’,” he whispered, so Kyousuke could know where they actually were. “We’re here.”

“Great,” Kyousuke answered, with an excitement Daisuke only found on little boys.

The vampire grabbed the door handle, and that was when a voice was heard behind them.

“THERE THEY ARE!”

Both of them turned; their weapons at ready. But there was a sudden light, much brighter than the lamps in the earlier corridor where they had killed a few vampires, and then complete darkness clouded Daisuke’s eyes.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoa! What’s going on here? Sorry for ending it here.  
> Mao with a whip comes from [ some pictures](http://www.heroshock.com/?p=4739) I once saw of him.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! The more, the more fired up I will be ^^


	18. Mistress, Misery, Mao, Mao, M-a-o, M a o

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mao  
> Mao
> 
> Mao
> 
> Ma o
> 
> M a o
> 
> M a o
> 
> M
> 
> A
> 
> O
> 
>  
> 
>  
> 
> “Watanabe-san?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is dedicated to my real-life friend known as sagittaire95 on Wattpad, who is also the receiving end of my DaiMao fangirling since college days (because screaming about your ships sometimes feels better in your native language XD). She never (lemme repeat that, NEVER) stopped bugging me until I write the I M P O R T A N T scene in this chapter. If not for her, this will be stuck for so much longer. I know you're reading this, you girl/girl shipper ;)  
> Thank you, dear!
> 
> Now, let’s find out what’s going on, shall we?

Pain.

Pain.

It was almost blinding and Daisuke didn’t want to wake up. But he had to, because apparently there was something that keep tugging in his mind, telling him to _wake up wake up wake up Dai-chan because you are not alone so wake up wake up wake up wake up wake up dammit STAY SAFE WAKE UP WAKE UP WAKE UP—_

Opening his eyes should’ve been the last thing he did. He couldn’t help but to let a guttural groan escape his lips, even though there was something at the back his mind that told him to keep his silence. Daisuke tried to move his limbs, but every single _twitch_ sent searing pain into his body, freezing him.

Despite the agony, he managed to open his eyes and tried his best to find out where he was. The first thing he realized that the room was slightly brighter than the dark corridors, with a dim lamp above his head. The second one was the fact that he was chained against the wall, and he only needed to glance a bit upwards to see his feet being bound together by silver chain. He didn’t have to move his hands behind his back to know the same material was the one chaining him.

_That explains the pain._

“Hush, boy, don’t move.”

It was a woman’s voice, and Daisuke didn’t recognize her as she sat down before him, together on the cold floor. She looked like she was going towards her middle-age, but as a vampire, her age surely was far beyond that. Her hair was dark and tied in bun, showing off motherly demeanor that suited her appearance. One glance at her and Daisuke just knew she was the one in charge of this place, and it freaked him out.

The Headmistress apparently knew what was in his mind, for she let out a shushing voice. “Shh, shh, boy, don’t worry. All is good.”

Nonetheless, she budged a bit, showing Daisuke _who_ was laying a few steps behind her, unconscious. It was enough for him to react, despite the pain all the silver brought him.

“Mao!” Strangely enough, it didn’t feel as painful as he’d expected. He still couldn’t move much, though, for the silver was draining his energy, and it was draining _fast_.

“Shh, shh, we’re not doing anything to him, and he’s just asleep.” Daisuke glared murderously at her, who laughed. “Listen to me, Hooligan, you’re breaking the rules and this is the punishment you get.”

Daisuke merely stared at her as she smiled. If the situation weren’t so grave, he’d have mistaken it as a _gentle_ one. “However, I have a proposition to ask you. Are you willing to do that in exchange of you and _this human_ ’s freedoms?”

“Mao’s is enough.” He knew well enough that he wasn’t in the position to ask too much.

“I know you’d say that.” The smile on her face turned into a grimace. “This brings back memories for me. Do you remember… Dai-chan, my boy?”

Startled, Daisuke watched as she pulled out her bun and let her hair fall around her. It was long and, under the light, wasn’t as dark as before. His mind was triggered, and played a memory, dated centuries ago, one that he hadn’t been able to remember until that very second. They were much, much younger back then… Daisuke possessed late teenager physical appearance, and she looked like she just stepped into her thirties.

 

_She was stunning, with some kind of ethereal beauty. She was something Daisuke had never seen in his entire lifetime, and he had been surrounded by vampires since he could remember. Maybe what made her like that was the fact that she possessed the power he’d never imagine. She was Daisuke’s only hope. She belonged to the community, and the only one Daisuke could see as a way out… back then when the Hooligans were destroyed and he was in the verge of death._

_“Please, please, please,” Daisuke was begging, sounding so desperate the word was more like a chant. In the hut in the middle of the forest, no longer bound and being mind-altered. The familiar horse stood behind her, and Daisuke’s savior sat on it. Both of them were watching with an unreadable expression, as if not knowing what was going to unfold. “Keep that boy safe. I set him free and please, please, please, keep him safe.”_

_“Why should I?” Her voice dripped venom as she grabbed his tattered clothes. “It’s better to finish all your clan and the kid that caused all of this.”  
_

_“P-please—”_

_“That kid doesn’t have anyone else left.” The grip tightened, making Daisuke barely able to breathe properly. “Hooligans ruined every single of those kids’ lives in every way possible. Manipulating their parents, making them sell their children, keeping them away from their homes… so those kids would come to your place and stay. Do you even_ have a slightest idea _what your clan has done to humans?”_

_Daisuke shook his head weakly. “B-but he wants to live. He tells me that. That’s why I let him go.”_

_She dropped him unceremoniously, making him hit the floor. She didn’t seem to care as she continued to seethe and bared her fangs at him. She kicked the dead vampires’ bodies that were scattered around them; the ones that had tried to erase Daisuke’s memory. “And what makes you think I’ll comply with your wishes? What makes you so sure that I tell the community not to hunt him d—”_

_“You love him, right?” Daisuke gathered his strength to ask, his eyes directed at the horse. His savior jerked in surprise from his seat on the horse and she stopped talking. “You’ll… you’ll understand then. Please, please, please, please, he wants t-to live… and that’s w-what I ask of you.”_

_Gentleness suddenly took over the anger in her expression and she sighed as she swished her long hair. Her hair was as long as Daisuke’s savior’s, which made both of them strangely beautiful. She knelt on the floor next to Daisuke’s form, still weak from not much blood and the detainment. She proceeded to pat his upper arm; her gesture spoke something that he couldn’t decipher._

_“Let’s go.”_

 

“You’re _his_ wife.” The declaration was foreign in Daisuke’s chapped lips, even though he was the one who said it. “Right? You’re the vampire who m-married a human being… The Chief— _my savior’s_ beloved wife.”

The Headmistress regarded him coldly. “So you’ve figured. I was thinking those brainless vampires managed to wipe out your memory in time.”

Another realization hit him. “You let the boy live.”

“Indeed I was. The second and last betrayal I made for the community.” A bitter smile crossed her face. “And see what happens to you.”

Daisuke glanced at Kyousuke, who was still unmoving. The light from the lamp was enough to show that he was breathing regularly. At the same time, it made him look… younger. Frailer. _Like a child_. “Let him go. Please.”

She lifted her eyebrow. “What’ll you do about it? Blackmail me with my love towards my long-dead husband?”

“I’ll do whatever it takes,” Daisuke muttered as a response, smiling humorlessly. If he didn’t raise his voice, it wasn’t as painful as before. “I know where your heart lies.”

In a flash, she grabbed his shoulder and shook him, and everything Daisuke had done to keep away the pain from his body shattered. He nearly screamed in agony, but managed to stop himself because that would wake his assistant, and he didn’t want to _think_ what she’d do if Kyousuke dared to go against her.

“You’ll never change. Even when we keep you under our wing, you know where _your_ heart lies and you never stopped telling us,” she hissed. “As for mine, that damned _heart of mine_ , it’s stuck with that man, and it shall not return.”

Daisuke’s smile widened, even though there was nothing delightful in this situation. Somehow his mind cleared, and he remembered something that had nagged in his mind since he heard the nickname ‘Headmistress’. “You’re new here,” he gritted out, “You come here because this grooming house once was a home of Ryouma’s friends, right?”

 _Shinjiro-san was the one responsible in the grooming house for decades, even since before I came_ , Minami’s voice recited the words in Daisuke’s head. _Unless he’s dead, there is a little chance of a grooming house to be handled by someone else_.

“Don’t say his new name so carelessly like that!” She bared her teeth at Daisuke, her eyes lighted up like a pair of flames, but he no longer felt fear. She didn’t answer his question, and it was all he needed. “I refuse to acknowledge him with such a… _human name_!”

“But he was human. The Chief.”

“ _My_ human,” she replied, jumped to her feet and walked over to where Kyousuke was sleeping—Daisuke preferred thinking of him that way—peacefully, as if he were taking a nap after a long day preparing for Daisuke’s photo sessions and rehearsals. “Just like this one is yours.”

Daisuke was going to retort, but she cut him off. “He is no longer my human. He has my blood, yet he is too far gone.” She laughed mirthlessly. “Tell me, Dai-chan, boy, why did you let him… associate with that vampire hunter?”

 _Naito_.

“It’s his choice.”

“He made a choice to be friends with a wrong sort.” The laugh intensified, which made it sound frenzy. “He was born with complete memories, only to be awakened when he found out his true heritage. But _that vampire hunter got to him first! The nerve!_ ”

And it was when everything clicked. “You… you want Ryouma in exchange of Mao?”

The Headmistress turned from Kyousuke’s body to face him. She made a face at the name rolling out Daisuke’s lips, but didn’t comment on that. “He is the only one I want.” She was going to say something else, but suddenly a silver rope bound her ankle and pulled, almost making her lost her balance and fell face first onto the floor. “Humans are despicable,” she hissed. Daisuke watched with wide eyes as she grabbed the silver rope and jerked with whatever strength left on her. Even though she wasn’t as strong since every vampire was weak with silver, it was enough to swing Kyousuke against the wall far on Daisuke’s right.

“Mao-kun!”

Kyousuke groaned weakly after he landed on the floor, his whip was gripped as tightly as he could. His face was bleeding, and there was also blood trickling from his mouth. The scent immediately hung in the room, making Daisuke had to put on his strongest defense. “Don’t touch him,” Kyousuke managed to let out between his pained gasps.

She took a step back and watched both of them with interested eyes. “Look at you,” she cooed. “Bound by fate. The saved human and his… what did he always call you, Dai-chan? Oh. His _delicate flower_.”

“W-what are you talking about?” Kyousuke rasped and Daisuke just _knew_.

But the door was slammed open before any of them could speak. The light from outside flooded in, temporarily blinding. However, a figure quickly shadowed and Daisuke could see properly again.

“Headmistress!” the figure, which was a vampire, exclaimed as he made his way in. “There’s an attack all around the house!”

The Headmistress cursed. “Release Takiguchi-san.”

“What?!”

She turned back at them, her lips curled into a smirk. “Thank you for sending an unresponsive vampire to us, boys,” she said, making her way towards Daisuke. “With a blank mind, he is much easier to control and be altered. Surely you know that a killing machine will come in handy for these types of situations?”

“You can’t do that,” Daisuke hissed. The surprise had weakened his defense and thus the pain was back. “You can’t do that.”

“Of course I can,” she replied. Her hand gripped Daisuke’s jaw and smashed his head against the stone wall, making him see stars. “After all, you failed to keep my beloved safe.”

Dazed, Daisuke didn’t reply any longer as she stood and left with the vampire. Kyousuke stood with difficulty and staggered so he was now in Daisuke’s field of vision. “Dai-chan, are you okay? Dai-chan?”

Daisuke offered him a small smile, his eyes too foggy to see clearly. But he knew that voice so well. “Hi there, Mao-kun.”

“Dai-chan! Please stay awake!”

The vampire wanted to, he wanted to _so badly_. There was nothing he wouldn’t do for _Kyousuke_. But his body was in so much pain, his head was throbbing, and the silver binding his limbs was enough to drain his stamina.

In the verge of passing out, suddenly warmth landed on his lips and the pain was numbed in a certain degree. It took him a few seconds to realize that Kyousuke had kissed him, in order to give his blood into him.

To _donate_ his blood.

Daisuke was too weak to resist, and the blood felt like water in the desert. He blinked once, and the kiss was still there and the blood was still trickling steadily into his mouth. He could practically hear Kyousuke’s urgent begging _please don’t die don’t die here drink my blood you will be fine after this please don’t die don’t you die on me please Dai-chan please_ —

It was far from how a kiss should be, but Daisuke wouldn’t have it any other way. He reciprocated as much as he could, his mind ringing _I’m fine Mao thank you thank you thank you it’s always a pleasure to work with you please save yourself please please please get away from here I’m fine so you can go and save yourself I’ll see you later at work at rehearsal at another photo sessions where you can get all the silver away from me so keep yourself safe alright Mao please promise me please—_

Finally air was a necessity, and Kyousuke pulled back. His lips were still bleeding, but there was a smile on his face. “I hope that’s enough for now.”

“Thanks, Mao.”

“I should get you out of these.” Kyousuke looked like he wanted to break all the silver chains. “But I don’t want to hurt you.”

“That’s okay. I just wanna sleep.” The pain was returning, although the blood helped, but there was no way Daisuke would tell his assistant. All Daisuke could do was to keep himself from stuttering so Kyousuke wouldn’t notice how weak he actually was. “Let me sleep, Mao. I might get better afterwards.”

“Oh, alright.”

“Go help the others.” As much as he didn’t want to be left alone, he knew better than to keep Kyousuke next to his unconscious body. He would stand a better chance if he was with their friends. “Find Naito-kun or something.”

“I don’t wanna leave you.”

“Be reasonable, Mao. Please. He’ll protect you.”

Kyousuke didn’t answer, but Daisuke was sure he saw tears pooling in his eyes. The vampire also kept his mouth shut as he enjoyed Kyousuke’s gentle strokes on his hair so he could lull Daisuke to sleep. The pain intensified, slowly but surely, and Daisuke closed his eyes, trying to focus… but even the gentleness of his assistant’s hand was numbed. 

* * *

“Watanabe-san.”

Daisuke opened his eyes and saw nobody else in the dim room, but finally he could see a small figure standing a few feet nearby. He blinked again and again to make sure that he wasn’t seeing things, but the little boy he’d saved was there, standing proudly and looked like a boy version of Kyousuke Hamao.

At the thought of that name, he froze. “Where’s Mao?”

The Child looked like his foot had been stepped on. “He is safe, don’t worry. He’s following your command.”

Daisuke sat up. The pain was back in full strength, and he was forced to stay slumped against the wall. “What are you doing here?”

The answer needed a while to be understood. “To take you away from this world. Your time here is up, Daisuke-san.” He extended his little hand, just as small as the one Daisuke had squeezed back in the dungeons belonged to his cruel clan. “Do you want to come with me?”

As if answering the question for him, the wave of pain hit him again and Daisuke had no choice but to croak out a word.

“Yes.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *casually put up CHARACTER DEATH on the tags* *sorry not sorry* *well, a bit sorry, actually* *looks around nervously* Er… let’s talk about the kiss a.k.a. the I M P O R T A N T scene instead? At least they kissed before Dai... you know... died? *hides behind laptop as y’all rush forward with torches* :')
> 
> ‘He made a choice to be friends with a wrong sort’ is inspired by one of my fav scenes in Harry Potter, spoken by Draco Malfoy.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated!  
> Since we've come this far... I would love **5 reviews** for the next chapter to come out.  
>  I just wanna know what you think. Please? ;)


	19. Death is Like a Walk in the Park

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Death is like a walk in a park. Or just a walk in general.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello? Anyone alive? *peeks out from hiding*  
> Apparently it's hard to ask for reviews after such a chapter.  
> I'm still sorry (esp to you, sd4ianto) but I hope you can continue reading.
> 
> Also updated because for some reason this makes me feel better. I have this and SpongeBob musical songs to thank to. Believe it or not, the cheerier the songs I hear, the darker the writing will be. I'll try not to, tho. Please bear with me XD
> 
> Enjoy! :)

They were walking in the corridor. It was bright now, and the first thing that Daisuke noticed was that he no longer had a shadow. Noises were loud above his head, which made him realize that they were either underground or in a secret path or both. Somehow, it worried Daisuke. He knew he wasn’t supposed to, because it was no longer his battles, but he couldn’t help it.

“My task is to get you out from this place, and after that… you’ll find the peace you deserve. You’re a good man; you always deserve that.” He turned and grinned at Daisuke, making his heart ache. Flashes of his past played before his eyes, making him stop every once in a while. Every time he did, The Child merely stood and waited as if he had expected that.

After Daisuke had halted for the fifth time, a question popped up in his mind. “Wait, can I ask you something?” The Child’s hand didn’t stop holding Daisuke’s, and it was cold. Unlike Kyousuke’s, and it made the vampire even surer to ask. “How long have you been watching me?”

The Child smiled sadly. “I’ve been watching you all this time, my delicate flower.”

At that familiar yet strange nickname, a memory played itself in Daisuke’s mind, and he found himself back in Hooligans’ Headquarters. The Child was dancing under the warm sunlight, his bare feet collided and left the soil as he moved and jumped. He had flowers in his hands and behind each ears, put there by himself and his human friends. It made him look even more innocent than usual.

Daisuke himself was drawing. He made sure he could depict the beauty that was presented before him, even though there were lots of other children playing in the yard. His keen eyes caught the details of the flowers and The Child’s mirthful expression and the wrinkles of his clothes as he swayed and enjoyed himself even though there was no music to accompany him.

 

_“Here. For you.”_

_Daisuke was so immersed in his drawing he didn’t realize that The Child had stopped dancing. A flower was thrust in front of his eyes as the boy handed one that had been gripped in his hand as he danced. “This is delicate, so be careful.”_

_“A delicate flower?” Daisuke picked it as gently as he could. “Thank you.”_

_The Child grinned toothily at him. “Yes!_ My _delicate flower!”_

 

Back then, Daisuke hadn’t been sure which one The Child meant, but now he knew. It scared him, for obvious reasons. “You’ve been watching me in Mao’s body.” That wasn’t a question, and both of them knew it.

A sad smile crossed the boy’s face. “Unlike The Chief, Hamao-san is not a reincarnation of me. I am more like his alter-ego. I live in his mind, and take over whenever it is necessary. That makes me able to access his memories, but he can’t do the same to me.”

It explained several things for Daisuke. “The ‘sleepwalking’. It was you in the hotel and in Mao’s apartment, right?” _No wonder Mao’s pretty embarrassed about that_.

The Child nodded, but said nothing.

“You’re creepy, you know, making him act like he has double personalities.”

“But if I don’t do that, you won’t notice me. If I didn’t contrast my own personalities with Hamao-san’s, you wouldn’t be able to recognize me in the hotel room. However, I have to apologize. I’m so sorry. Shocking you, Watanabe-san, is the last thing I want.”

“Don’t be sorry. I forgive you.” Something dawned on the vampire. “Hey, can I ask you something? Mao told me he’s been sleepwalking since he was a kid… does that mean you’ve been inside his head for that long?”

The Child sobered up and gazed at Daisuke with something that surpassed his age. “Yes. And I made it. I brought him to you.”

“You’re tying our fates? Me and Mao too?”

“ _I_ tied my fate with _you_ and _The Chief_ , Watanabe-san. No more, no less. Hamao-san just got in the way…” He looked thoughtful. “But it’s a good thing, though, because I will not last long in this world. I’ve lived in a borrowed time already, watching you all this time.”

Daisuke sat down next to him, so they were more eye-level. Now that he had been able to meet the kid he’d saved—the root of all this—he realized that he had _so_ many questions to ask. “How does it feel, watching me?”

“Nice. Knowing that my savior is able to take care of himself despite his corrupted memories… it feels good. Reassuring.”

“Why did you have to tie our fates together?”

Laughing, The Child sat down as well. “It was more like a decision on a whim. I thought The Chief had no right to keep you away from me. I was so angry, and they said magic worked better when one is furious. I should let you know that I also learned a bit of ritual magic in my teenage years. With that knowledge, I made a vow to see you again, even though it takes me forever. The Chief knew the incantation I was saying and tried to interrupt, so he accidentally got himself in, as well.”

“Do you know his wife?”

The Child’s answer surprised Daisuke. “I used not to, but now I do. I was close enough with Baba-san to be able to coax him to recite The Chief’s memories. His wife was one of the things he liked to tell me about; they really love each other. There was this one time when Hamao-san’s image shocked him so much his memory was triggered much more than I was to him.”

“You mean, you made his past-self appear? Involuntarily?”

“Yes. Well, not really. He was so livid he accidentally spoke as The Chief. There was also this one day when Baba-san came to your assistant’s house to help with something. Memories of The Chief apparently were overwhelming him so we started to fight. I wanted to protect Hamao-san from something he had no idea of, so I forced myself to take over. After a while, you came.”

“I did?”

“Yes. You talked about a costume. Halloween, I think.”

Daisuke jerked in surprise, remembering the strange coldness he’d received from Kyousuke. He hadn’t thought much about it before, but— “It was _you_?”

“For a while, yes. I managed to let Hamao-san return gradually, so he wasn’t too shocked when he realized he has blacked out during my confrontation with The Chief.” A playful twinkle appeared in his eyes. _Almond-shaped_ , Daisuke thought. “On the day we first met, do you remember that?”

Daisuke didn’t need to ask more to know what The Child was going to say. He remembered the stare directed to his back as he ran towards Naito’s house, the steady… cool gaze they’d shared as he walked home with Doori, shortly before they were attacked.

“You were walking with Sakurada-san before those vampires abducted him. I was the one there, so if you ask Hamao-san, he will not remember.”

Hearing all this revelation somehow sent excitement in Daisuke. “You said… you are not here for much longer. What do you mean? Where are you going?”

“I’ve been dead for centuries, Watanabe-san. The only thing keeping me here is my vow to see you, and now that I do, I have no much time left.” He forced a smile on his face, and Daisuke was tempted to hug him because he knew the boy was going to cry. “But I know better than forcing you to come with me when I know you still want to stay.”

“You’re right. I’m sorry.”

“Are you in pain now?”

“No.”

“At least you agreed to get outside your body. I cannot stand seeing you in pain. When the time has come, we shall be… at peace.”

“Yeah,” Daisuke said affectionately. “I’m sorry that we never get to meet. Back then, I mean.”

“The Chief was right, even though his decision was cruel. It was better to distance you from people who would remind you to the Hooligans. That’s why you survive to this day, living as an exiled vampire, blacklisted by the community but ignored because they thought you’ve lost all your memories. Took me ages to realize that.”

“Why _now_? Why not back then, when you just… died?” _That way you won’t need to wait this long_ left unsaid.

“I need to find someone who’ll resemble me first. That will be easier for both of us, for me to explain and for you to trigger your own memories. But it takes so long, even though it’s worth it in the end. Hamao-san was born three hundred years after I was saved, and he had my characteristics. I might be sentimental, but I thought that was the real _fate_ I have tied myself to.” He stood. “Let’s go upstairs.”

“What?” That was when the voices returned. The fight was still going.

“We will not be able to intervene, but we can watch.”

Daisuke didn’t know what made him take The Child’s hand and rose to his feet as well. But he did. 

* * *

They made their way upstairs like normal people would— _aren’t the dead floating or something?_ —and saw as the fight presented itself in front of their eyes. Bodies were scattered on the floor. It wasn’t that many to make it look like a bloodbath, but it was enough to show how terrible the fight had been. Daisuke didn’t recognize any of them, but three of them had silver coins etched on either their cheeks or their foreheads, which made him sure Vampire-Wannabe had something to do with that.

The Child didn’t look fazed at the scene before them, and his hold on Daisuke’s hand didn’t waver as they walked away. At the end of the corridor, there were two… fighters being surrounded by five vampires. Their weapons, a gun with silver bullets, were able to kill all of their opponents. Daisuke strained his eyes and recognized one of them, although barely.

“I think I’ve seen that guy somewhere,” he said, pointing at one of them, the shorter one.

“Bubblegum, fighting alongside his partner Speccy Mountain,” The Child answered. “Maybe you remember Sei and Akiyama from Hyoutei B? Naito-san’s friends from the tennis play?”

Daisuke made a noise of recognition. It was hard to remember, especially when they weren’t wearing their colorful wigs. “Wait a sec. Does that mean… Hyoutei B is Naito-kun’s backup? That explains Kei, that ‘Hawaiian Princess’.” _No wonder his name sounds familiar_.

“Indeed.” The Child grinned. “They’re a part of an anti-vampire group who has made themselves under the spotlight, just to keep out of trouble. Naito-san is one of them.”

“Because fame will make them harder to kill,” Daisuke said, to no one in particular.

The two vampire hunters left the room and The Child urged Daisuke to follow. They went into other rooms and saw more of the fight between the vampires and the hunters. Daisuke saw a door, slightly ajar, with a name carved on it and realized something.

“Yuuta’s Room.”

“You are right. That is also why I bring you upstairs.” With that, The Child pushed Daisuke inside through the door.

Doori was in there, his expression full of anguish as he knelt next to the bed on the middle of the room. On the bed was a boy, maybe a few years younger than him, sleeping peacefully. Other than him, Doori was alone, and his voice was borderline hysterical as he shook the boy awake. “Wake up, wake up, _please_!”

It was when Daisuke realized that the boy wasn’t lying on a common bed. Medical devices were surrounding him, _connected to him_ , making him look like a comatose patient in a hospital. Before Doori could react—or maybe _recognize_ those stuff around him—the door behind him opened. Daisuke braced himself (and realized belatedly that it was useless), and so did Doori, but the figure who walked in didn’t seem interested to fight.

“Why are you here, Doori-kun?” the vampire, one that Daisuke had seen in Naito’s photos, asked tiredly. “Didn’t Yun make sure for you not to return?”

Doori stood and faced him, even though he didn’t leave the bedside. “I promised him.”

“What are they talking about?”

As if understood his confusion, The Child looked up at him. “Sakurada-san told Hamao-san everything about this boy,” he said. “I personally want to show you.”

“Why?”

“Before we go, I think you deserve to know everything you have to, and that includes your friends.”

He squeezed Daisuke’s hand and that was when the scene changed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We shall meet some new guys after this.
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	20. Wunderkind

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Daisuke is shown his friends' past.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter title is taken from a Cold Case episode, meaning ‘child prodigy’.
> 
> This Story hits 200 in Chapter 19! Yay!!! Thanks for reading this far and supporting me while working on this.  
> Updated as a form of celebration.  
> Also because it's been exactly **a year** since I published Story I. YAAAY!!!
> 
> Enjoy!

The grooming house was different, but the scent of vampires in the air was enough to tell that they were in a place where they were in control. At first, Daisuke didn’t recognize where it was, but a glance at the sign answered his internal question. Minami’s explanative voice, spoken years ago, returned to him.

_“Before Doori-kun and I left the grooming house, we settled at the back of a hotel.”_

It wasn’t as posh as the current grooming house, but it was still nice and the backyard was spacious enough to be enjoyed by all the teenage humans. The yard brought memories for Daisuke, who shuddered.

“Hooligans’ front yard was ten times better than this one,” The Child suddenly announced next to him. “Even though they ended up being murderous, your clan really knew how to charm young children.”

Daisuke nodded. “I know.”

The Child looked like he was going to say something, but his attention was suddenly taken away as he pointed at a direction of a tree. “There he is!”

“Who?” Daisuke followed his finger and saw a boy under the tree. A guitar was settled on his lap and he was playing it softly, producing gentle tunes.

“The Prodigy!”

He looked younger than the sleeping boy on the bed, but that was understandable. If this took place on Doori’s time in the grooming house, it meant they were being more than seven years back in the past. But still, he was pale and sickly, even though he looked content.

“C’mon, play more for me!”

At the familiar voice, Daisuke turned. Doori—a much younger one, too—rushed _through_ Daisuke and bounced in front of The Prodigy. “Can you play a song for me? And you should sing, too. We all like it when you do.”

The Prodigy smiled weakly as his hands readied themselves on the guitar. “Alright then.”

A song that as sung shortly after was slow, but the rhythm was nice for a dance. Daisuke didn’t recognize that, but he had to admit that The Prodigy had such a nice voice that made the song instantly entertaining. He watched as Doori spun and danced with an invisible partner, obviously enjoying himself.

However, the song was cut short when The Prodigy coughed a few times. “Guess it’s my time to stop,” he said hoarsely. There was no trace of beauty in his voice now. “I bet Yun-san’s looking for me now.”

Doori had to conceal his disappointment when his friend stood and left the yard. He followed him, though, and Daisuke suddenly found himself in front of a door inside the grooming house. _YUUTA’S ROOM_ , it was called.

“I told you already… don’t go into this room, Sakurada-kun,” an exasperated sound was heard from the inside.

“I just wanna see my friend!”

The door opened and Daisuke got a better view. Doori was there, speaking at a man who dressed like a scientist. Daisuke recognized him from Naito’s blurred pictures, and now he could see the man more clearly. It was evident that this man was a vampire, and a very thin one at that. “You can’t. Not now.”

“Why?!”

“He’s under supervision, so you better sit still and wait until he comes out himself.”

Doori scowled, but finally walked away.

“The Prodigy, Sakurada-san’s friend, has some kind of disease,” The Child explained as they followed the human down the corridor. “He has to be put in a separate room and placed under complete supervision by two guys named Yuuta. Basically, they are The Prodigy’s vampire guardians.”

“That explains the name.”

Their surroundings changed again, and now it was nighttime. They saw Doori, who was creeping through the corridor, his hands groping the wall as he tried to find his way. He finally arrived in front of Yuuta’s Room, and pushed the door slightly open. What he saw inside made Daisuke flinch.

It was like a scene from a movie about hospitals. The Prodigy was sitting on his bed, but he was obviously asleep. There were IV tubes stuck on both of his hands, and dark blood was flowing through them, down to somewhere below his bed. It looked like he was donating his blood, but even Daisuke knew that it took much more than it had to.

“They were taking his blood by force?” Daisuke whispered.

“That’s not the only thing they did,” The Child replied. “Look.”

A young man made his way to view and sat before the boy on the bed. He extended his hands and put them on the sides of The Prodigy’s head. “Can I start?”

“He’s stable,” another voice said from behind him. “Go ahead, Yun-kun.”

Long string of incantation followed the command, and Daisuke failed to catch any word that he understood. Still, that brought him to an unwanted memory, back then when he was detained in a small hut in the middle of the forest. “Mind-alteration!” he hissed. “That Yun guy’s altering his memories!”

Doori was as white as a sheet when he finally ran away from the room, most probably to return to his own bedchambers, looking dead to his feet and just wanting to disappear. The memory stopped right there, and changed.

* * *

“Motomura-san, do you have time?”

Daisuke and The Child found themselves in a small library, with all bookshelves filled with books. Only two people were there, and they knew exactly who they were. Doori was sitting next to a man—a vampire—who was reading a book. He put down the book when the human began to speak.

“What is it, Doori-kun?”

Minami looked tired and, strangely enough, much older than he was now. He looked sickly pale, like he hadn’t seen the sunlight for days, and it reminded Daisuke on how he was forbidden to go outside. It made his insides ache with trepidation.

“I… I saw The Prodigy yesterday.”

“Who?” Minami asked, looking genuinely disoriented. Daisuke noticed the lost look in his eyes and knew that he wasn’t faking it. Not to mention the obvious exhaustion in his entire gesture that spoke more than just a need for blood. _Was his mind altered recently?_ Daisuke didn’t want to think about it.

Doori pushed him playfully. “Motomura-san, _please_. I still don’t understand why you can be so forgetful sometimes!” he admonished. “He’s the guy with guitar, the one who likes to sing! Remember him?”

“Oh… him,” the vampire replied, still confused. “Yeah… yeah, I remember. What about him?”

Unconvinced, Doori frowned and looked like he wanted to say more. But eventually he let it go, maybe because his curiosity was bigger. “I went to his room last night. Saw Yun-san doing things to him. I don’t understand what’s going on.”

That grabbed Minami’s attention. “Doing what exactly?”

Doori placed his palms on the sides of his head and slowly moving them in a circular motion. “Like this. He said things too, but I couldn’t hear him. Do you know what they’re doing, Motomura-san?”

A flash of horror crossed Minami’s expression before he was able to return it to a blank mask. Daisuke did not fail to notice that. “I don’t know, Doori-kun,” he obviously lied. “Maybe your friend’s sick and Yun was just trying to make him feel better? I know there are some therapeutic treatments that are better than hospital stays. After all, that kid’s sick a lot, as far as I remember.”

The human was silent for a while. “Maybe… maybe you’re right.” Despite his words, he still looked like he didn’t believe it. “He’s always sluggish if I come visit him in the morning but always comes out better a few hours after that.”

Minami smiled. “See? It’s nothing to be worried about.”

“Y-yeah… thanks, Motomura-san.”

It was the last thing Daisuke heard before the memory changed.

* * *

Even though they stayed in the library, it was obvious that this happened on a different day. The door was slammed open and Doori barreled inside like a bullet. Minami appeared from behind one of the bookshelves, eyeing him with confusion. “What is it, Doori-kun? Did something happened?”

“You won’t believe what I saw, Motomura-san!” Doori hissed, his voice low enough not to be heard by anyone besides the one he was talking to, despite the fact that they were alone in the library. He pulled out something from his pocket. “Look!”

It was a poster, picturing a group of people wearing one type of uniform. Daisuke immediately recognized the Seigaku colors and knew what exactly that was.

“This,” Doori said urgently, smirking. “Is _fame_! I wanna try this out!”

Minami smiled weakly. “Go ahead, then. You might get lucky.”

“I will! Just wait and see.” Doori paused. “However, Motomura-san, do you think I can ask The Prodigy to come with me?”

“What, to the audition?” Doori nodded and Minami’s smile widened. “Ask him. I know he’ll love it.”

“Right! Thanks, Motomura-san! I’ll let you know if we get in there!” The human was going towards the door when he stopped and turned. “Can I ask you something?”

“Of course.”

“Why do you know he’ll love it? You remember him now?”

Minami made a small gesture of a ‘no’, but then sighed. “Because I know how it feels to be trapped in here, Doori-kun.”

Doori froze, bit his lip, but eventually nodded and left.

* * *

Yun, the mind-alteration vampire, found Doori in the corridors when the next memory played. Daisuke could see that he was tall and had a dark aura around him, and it worsened with the butler-lookalike outfit he was wearing. Despite that, he was good-looking and judging from his physical appearance, he’d make a good model.

“Sakurada-kun, I need to talk to you.”

Doori flinched when he heard his name being called and trudged further away from the vampire. Yun wasn’t having any of it, so he rushed forward and caught the boy’s wrist. “Did you hear me? I want to talk to you.”

“Let me go, dammit!”

“It’s about the kid I’m supervising.”

Doori stopped struggling. “What about him?”

Yun rolled his eyes and gestured to the nearest door. “Get in. I won’t hurt you, so don’t worry.” When Doori didn’t budge, he sighed. “Look. You’re his friend and your guardian’s mine, so there’s no way in hell I’d hurt you or…” his voice dropped. “…turning you to one of us. So, please, just get in. I only need to talk to you.”

“Motomura-san told you about me confronting him?” Doori did his best to look intimidating, but Daisuke could see that he was getting nervous. “Don’t do anything to him. I’ve known what you guys actually are anyway.”

“No, but I can see it in your eyes since that girl was… gone. Now, if you please?”

“Fine.” Doori obliged and walked into the room, which was one of the bedchambers. It was empty. They took the farthest bed from the door and sat on it. “What is it?”

“You told him about that audition,” Yun began, matter-of-factly. “For that stage play. Why?”

“I just wanna see him happy,” Doori replied. “His voice is really nice and he likes to sing. He’ll love that role. And I know he wants to be outta this place. See the world. Be _famous_. He told me once that he wants a life like that.”

“He’ll be in a severe condition if he gets out from here,” Yun explained. “He’s suffering from some kind of disease that needs constant supervision.”

Doori smiled bitterly. “That disease of his… was that caused by you taking his blood all the time? Don’t act dumb, I know what you’re doing to him.”

Yun visibly flinched. “So you’ve known. There’s something wrong with his blood, so taking it out from him is the best choice, or he’ll die. Sakurada-kun, I might be a vampire, and I won’t lie and say that I don’t want a taste of his blood, but I’m doing my best to keep him from harm. By doing this, he’s saving a lot of our kind.”

“Does he know that he’s being used that way?”

A pause. “Yes, actually. We’ve been doing this since he was a kid, and my friend told him this is for the best. Human doctors predicted his death at the age of six, and look at him now. Alive and kicking. Isn’t that wonderful?”

“Why are you telling me this?”

“I want to let you know that it’s more dangerous for him to get out from this place. He’s too weak and we cannot look out for him anymore if he returns to the human world. It’ll be too risky for him. Don’t you want him to be safe as well as happy?”

“But you said yourself he’s so happy over what I’ve told him!” Doori rose to his feet. “I… just, gimme a chance. Give _him_ a chance. Let me take him to the audition, and see what’ll happen. Please? Help me in this?”

Yun sighed. “Tell me the exact time and date so my friend and I can cover for him.”

* * *

The Prodigy followed Doori to the audition of Third Generation Seigaku… and lost. Apparently he’d been too nervous to sing properly, and he froze several times when the producer wanted him to show some dance moves. Seeing his crestfallen expression broke something in Doori’s heart, and he tried his best to cheer him up as they went back to the grooming house, but no avail.

Doori, on the other hand, was hopeful. Call him selfish, or a hypocrite even, but he wanted the role as well. But seeing his friend so sad had buried what he really wanted, keeping it to the back of his mind. So, he was beyond surprised when he returned to the audition venue, two days later after a phone call, to see his name on the top lines of Seigaku members.

 

_Ryouma Echizen will be played by Doori Sakurada_

 

* * *

Yun was solemn when Doori cornered him one day. “What are you trying to say, Sakurada-kun?”

“You know what I want. Don’t make me repeat myself.”

“I certainly don’t want to hear your stupid idea twice,” Yun replied dryly and dragged the boy into the nearest room, which turned out to be the library. It was empty; the bookshelves were the only witness of their conversation. “How many times I have to tell you, foolish boy, it’s dangerous to—”

“What if…” Doori hissed. “I wanna take someone with me! The Prodigy deserves freedom!”

“But there’s no reason for him to get outside now,” Yun explained. “He failed the audition, and you got the role instead. My friend and I cannot cover him for long. But I think I should ask you something, now that we’re at it. Why are you so determined to get out?”

“You know why. That girl Shinjiro-san killed—”

“Wait. I should revise my question. Why are you so determined to get _someone else_ out?”

It didn’t take long for the boy to answer. “Because I know there’s a better place out there. I know I owe this place. You guys saved me when I ran away, but this is not what I want. I don’t want to be here and have my blood sucked when I know I can stop it. And I wanna show whoever’s coming with me that staying here is… not as great as they think.”

A smirk crossed Yun’s face, making him look devious. “I see. You said you want to show your friend the world they deserve to know?”

Doori nodded vigorously.

Yun’s smirk widened. “I know exactly who is quite desperate to see the outside world. Say, Sakurada-kun, can young adults play in that stage play of yours?”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like I promised, some new guys.
> 
> Yun’s butler-lookalike and his friend’s scientist-lookalike outfits are the reference to their roles. Maybe you can guess what roles I mean? ;)  
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	21. Acceptable

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Compromises are made, one voluntarily and one has to use a bit force.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updating to make y'all happy. Y'all happy, I'm happy XD
> 
> Jokes aside, I also need to vent. When you get wrecked, writing keeps you alive. Enjoy! :)))

“And so, that was his story.”

They were back in Yuuta’s Room, present time. Doori was still hovering over The Prodigy’s sleeping form, eyeing him pleadingly, as if mentally asking him to wake up and follow him outside. The scientist-lookalike vampire was still frozen at the other side of the bed, looking as if he wanted to go with Doori’s wishes and not to at the same time. From the closed door, Daisuke could still hear the fights going on. He turned to The Child, who was standing next to him. “Doori-kun took Kei-chan instead of this kid.”

“Minami-san won that role. He basically took his own freedom. Yun-san smoothed the path for both of them, helping Sakurada-san convince people they need so they could walk out from the grooming house. But he promised Yun-san that he’ll come back and take The Prodigy with him.” The Child sighed. “Now, he is fulfilling his promise.”

“Please,” they heard Doori said. “I promised him.”

The scientist vampire fixed his thick glasses. “Yun and I have predicted this day. You’re not someone who’ll forget what you promised. Stay here, Sakurada-kun.” He gestured to the closed door. “If your friends win, you can take him.”

Doori leaned back, surprised. But then he nodded. “Alright.”

“If…” A pause. “If… he needs our help, Sakurada-kun, just contact us. I’ve been waiting for the time to let him go, but Yun’s right. It’s still too risky. But… this needs to be done. So, you better take care of this kid.”

“I will.”

Daisuke watched the whole conversation in silence before he felt his hand being tugged. “Come on, Daisuke-san, we should find the others.”

“Okay.”

They went upstairs. “Where are we?” Daisuke asked, eyeing the dead/unconscious vampires with disdain. “Where are we going?”

The Child stilled for a moment. “The Headmistress’ room.”

* * *

Takki was there.

He did not seem to be _really_ there, judging from his empty expression. To be precise, he was in the corridor that led to the Headmistress’ room. Before him were bodies lying on the floor, belonged to people Daisuke couldn’t recognize. Judging from the mixed human/vampire scent, some of them must’ve been part of Naito’s anti-vampire group, but no one seemed to be Hyoutei B’s actor. The sight unnerved Daisuke, but he couldn’t seem to be able to move.

“There he is!” a shout was heard behind him. Daisuke turned and saw Naito and Vampire-Wannabe, who stopped running. Naito’s dagger was smeared with blood, Vampire-Wannabe was gripping the silver goblet in his hand, and they were standing in a protective position. Behind them, the one they were obviously guarding, was no other than Minami. He brought nothing but a…

_“Tennis racket?”_

…in his grip.

“Maybe Minami-san can use his authoritative role to coax Takiguchi-san from his trance,” The Child suggested. “That happened once, remember? When Sakurada-san was under influence, back then in the grooming house Naito-san blew up. I think that’s what they are trying to do, because getting someone close to them can break some of the worse delusions.”

Slowly, they took a step. Takki eyed them wildly, his hand tightening around a gun, but stayed in his place. Maybe he couldn’t find anything suspicious with the trio, or maybe, somehow he could recognize them. Daisuke gulped; _what is he trying to do?_

Vampire-Wannabe threw his silver goblet and hit Takki’s neck. With a howl, he grabbed his own neck to get rid of the sudden pain. He launched himself at them and Naito was forced to advance, his blade at ready—

—only to have Minami already rushed forward and smash his former co-star with the racket as if he were a tennis ball.

“Whoa!” Daisuke exclaimed, both shocked and awed at the sight, unable to stop himself. He knew Minami was strong, but seeing Takki being thrown to across the corridor was something else entirely. Then again, Minami almost never fought, thus his real strength was unknown, even to him.

“100 laps!”

Much to their surprise, Takki slowly rose and began to run around the corridor as if he were on stage and Minami was his stoic captain in the tennis club.

“That’s crazy!” Naito commented, voicing what Daisuke wanted to say. “They cannot alter _all sides of_ his mind! He’s responding to Kei-chan’s Tezuka!”

Vampire-Wannabe looked just as impressed, but then he tugged Naito’s hand. “As long as Kei-chan’s here, I think he can handle him. Let’s go.” They left the corridor and went towards a big door. Daisuke and the Child followed not far from them.

As expected, it was The Headmistress’ room.

And Kyousuke was already there.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for such a short chapter! I hope I can get something longer in the next one.  
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	22. Subsequent

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A reunion ensues.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We finally get here! Yay!
> 
> As I promised, a bit longer chapter this time. I was in such a good mood while writing this even tho it didn't last long. Anyway, enjoy!

The first thing Daisuke did when he saw his assistant was breathing a sigh of relief (which confused him because he was _dead_ ). Kyousuke didn’t look like he was in pain. He was standing as ramrod straight as he could, his hand tight around the silver whip, protecting him from whatever harm the Headmistress wanted to cause him.

Still, Daisuke didn’t like seeing him in that place, for it wasn’t safe for him. Kyousuke was supposed to be safe!

“Watanabe-san, there’s nothing you can do,” The Child said solemnly. “They cannot see you.”

“Can _you_ do something?”

The Child shook his head. “Hamao-san chose to be here. He is responsible of himself at this point. He is unharmed. With that weapon of his, she will not dare to come closer.” Even though Daisuke could see that, he still wanted to protest. But when he opened his mouth, he was interrupted.

“They’ve come,” Kyousuke said through gritted teeth, gesturing at Naito and Vampire-Wannabe with his hand. “You’ve seen us. Now let us go.”

“Who said you can go?” she replied. “There’s one of you that I’d love to stay. Isn’t it right…” She turned to Vampire-Wannabe. “…my beloved?”

Naito’s jaw dropped as he turned at the other VD. Vampire-Wannabe didn’t even look at him as his expression changed. Daisuke had never seen him look like that before… _no, he had_. Back then, when Naito’s head was on his lap, on the mess that was Takki’s apartment after those vampires raided that place.

“My dove.” The pet name sounded so sweet, if it wasn’t Vampire-Wannabe who said it.

“Baba-chan!” Naito protested, but Kyousuke hurried to his side and held him back. “What—”

“She won’t hurt him,” Kyousuke assured. “She won’t. She and Baba-chan used to be lovers.”

Naito recoiled as if that fact disgusted him, but kept his silence. They watched as Vampire-Wannabe and the Headmistress standing side-by-side, as if uncertain if they should make out or kill each other. “It’s been a while,” he finally said, his voice low and unknown to everyone except for the female vampire in the room. “You are well.”

“You too,” The Headmistress replied. “You look exactly like him.”

A smirk crossed Vampire-Wannabe’s lips. “Sometimes, reincarnation works that way, my dove. But you do know I’m not your beloved. Ryouma-kun is just acting to be him so you can be at peace.”

She shrugged. “I can dream.”

“No, you cannot. That’s what you get for marrying a human being.” Daisuke had never heard his friend being _that_ cross to someone before. He looked like he was someone else, just like whenever he was on stage. Vampire-Wannabe was an entirely different person. “Whenever you’re dreaming, my dove, you’re destroying yourself… and my new life as well. Do you want to see that happening?”

“Why should I care about your new life, anyway?”

“Because I won’t let you if you don’t,” Vampire-Wannabe answered easily. “Whatever choice Ryouma-kun takes in his life is never depends on me, and you should keep that in mind.” He paused and looked around before his eyes stopped at Naito, who froze at the intensity of his stare. “And that includes… how he chooses his companions.”

The Headmistress’ expression hardened. “What do you want?”

“Leave us alone. Exiled vampires are ours, unless they want to be left alone. Let us leave with Takiguchi and Sakurada’s friend. You see, my dove, when humans have known the truth about your kind, they won’t be that compliant. Do you think it’s better to let some of us go in exchange for more lives saved? Some sacrifices just need to be made.”

“What will you do with those two?”

“Minami has been able to control that killing machine of yours this far, and, if all goes well, The Prodigy’s guardians have consented of letting the boy go. That’s all we ask of you. Leave us alone. The community should’ve known better than abducting and attacking people who are affiliated to the vampire hunters.”

They were engaged in a long staring contest before she finally leaned back with a sigh. Daisuke knew that she was fighting a lost battle. With Kyousuke and Naito gripping their weapons, ready to attack, Minami guarding Takki in the corridor, and the fact that there were dead vampires on the hands of the hunters from Naito’s group, she knew she had to make a decision.

“There is a reason why I hate leadership,” she grumbled. “Fine. Have your way. Just don’t come back anymore. You do know that vampires need the grooming houses, and if you step your foot here once again, I cannot be held responsible.”

“Very well.” Vampire-Wannabe chuckled. “Thank you.”

“On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“Now… now that I’ve seen you, after all these years, I think I have obtained what I want. My time here is up.”

Daisuke glanced at The Child and understood immediately, and so did Vampire-Wannabe. With a sad smile, he stepped forward so he was closer to his wife in the past life. “Are you certain?” he asked carefully.

“You’ll be off with that vampire hunter, and I’ve lived in this world for too long already.” She smiled back, just as sadly. “You know… I really do love you.”

“You mean you really _did_ love me,” Vampire-Wannabe corrected. “My memories are intact, and in case you need any reassurance, I shall never forget you. You were my guardian, and for that you have my eternal gratitude…” He stopped speaking and looked away from her, _directly_ to the direction where Daisuke and The Child were standing. “…so does Dai-chan and that boy. What you did is never a betrayal. Not to me, not to them.”

Daisuke shivered as his broken memories showed up. Of him staying in a house, of him staring at her as she shoved him a vial of blood, of her teaching him the way of self-control, of her _telling him to forget the past and start a future on his own_ — “She…”

The Child squeezed his hand. “She has covered for both of us so nobody in the community would hunt us down. Without her, we would be long dead by now.”

“Dai-chan?”

Kyousuke’s voice returned the dead vampire to the present. He must’ve connected two and two together when he saw Vampire-Wannabe looking at the wall. Without thinking, Daisuke rushed towards him and tried to touch his shoulder. His hand pushed through his assistant’s body, making panic filled his insides. “Mao-kun!”

“No, he is not here, young human,” The Headmistress cut in, even though Daisuke could feel her stare on him. “He is still down there.”

Vampire-Wannabe straightened and went towards the human being. “It’s okay,” he spoke calmly, sounded more unlike the person Daisuke had known for a long time. “Dai-chan is okay. He will be okay. We have made sure he will be, for all these years.”

“I don’t like your tone,” Naito said. It was the first time he did since he learned about Vampire-Wannabe’s true heritage. “You speak as if he’s dead. And what about Baba-chan? What have you done to him?”

Daisuke recoiled; his hand was still attempting to touch Kyousuke and failed miserably.

“You don’t need to worry,” Vampire-Wannabe replied. “He is fine as well. Like I said, Ryouma-kun’s choices are his and his alone. You, Taiki-kun, are one of the finest choices he has made, so rest assured.”

The Headmistress cleared her throat. Vampire-Wannabe turned to her as if remembered. “Right. We need to get you at peace, my dove, before everything escalates.”

As a form of response, The Headmistress opened her mouth and Daisuke watched as Vampire-Wannabe pushed a silver coin into it. The effect was instantaneous when she collapsed as soon as the silver made contact with her body. Kyousuke flinched at the scene and all Daisuke wanted was to cover his eyes. Both Naito and Vampire-Wannabe were as still as statues.

“Very well.”

It was all Vampire-Wannabe said after a long silence, and it felt like time had moved again. His demeanor was back to normal. “Taiki-kun, take Mao-kun and leave. I’ll join you in a minute. Check on Kei-chan or something.”

“But—”

“ _Please_.”

Kyousuke tugged Naito’s hand and they reluctantly made their way towards the door. When he was left alone, Vampire-Wannabe knelt next to The Headmistress’ body and buried his hand in her hair. His expression was unreadable and he stayed like that for a long time.

* * *

Daisuke was initially hesitant to leave his friend in that room, but he knew he couldn’t do anything. Besides, The Child was urging him to go, and he realized that he wanted—no, _needed_ —to see Kyousuke before he left him forever. The thought pained him for a split second, before he regained his focus in the present.

But in the corridors they stopped, along with Naito and Kyousuke himself.

Takki was no longer running, and he was now sitting with his back against the wall. Before him was Yun, kneeling and holding the sides of his head. Minami stood not far from them, watching them intently.

“What are you doing?!” Naito automatically lashed out, only to be silenced when Minami lifted his racket.

Yun didn’t even react until he released Takki’s head and stood. “Done.” He turned to Naito and Kyousuke and was still as calm as before, as if he had expected them. “Hello, you two. A human and a VD? This is new.”

Kyousuke flicked his wrist, moving the silver whip in his grasp. Yun’s eyebrows lifted, and he looked alert in an instant. “Easy there. I won’t hurt you. In fact, I didn’t hurt your friend here. I only restored his state of mind. Piece of cake. He’ll be fine in a few minutes and you can take him home or something.”

Naito still looked unconvinced, but Minami took over. “Thanks.”

“Your darling donor decides to fulfill his promise,” Yun replied as an answer. “If something happens to that boy, tell us. That’s all I ask of you. Don’t deal with him yourself. It’s hard enough to let him go, so just don’t cut us from his life.”

“Alright.”

Yun was starting to walk away when he stopped as if remembering something. “Oh, one more thing. That vampire hunter group has won and I think it’s safe enough for you guys to check on that Hooligan in the prison.”

Kyousuke dashed downstairs before any of them could say anything. Naito followed as soon as he regained his senses.

The Child turned to Daisuke. He was smiling so widely it brought so many memories back in the _castle Hooligan Headquarters watching that dancing boy receiving that delicate flower_ … “I guess it’s time for us to leave? I still owe Hamao-san his memories, which I shall return gradually. You don’t need to worry about that.”

“Wait.” Something popped up inside Daisuke’s mind.

“What is it?”

“If it’s really my time to die, why did you _have to_ ask me? Back then, I mean, in that prison.”

Smile vanished immediately, The Child’s face clouded. He didn’t answer.

“Please?” Daisuke begged, urgency crept into his tone. For some reason, he really wanted to know, and that there was something The Child was hiding from him. “Can you _please_ answer my question? Is there anything you haven’t told me? Something that I should know?”

More pause, but finally the boy opened his mouth. “It’s because… it’s because you actually still have a choice.”

Daisuke watched him, dumbfounded. “What are you talking about?”

Tears suddenly flowed in the boy’s eyes, making the vampire flinch. Daisuke hurriedly knelt in front of him, patting his shoulder in a soothing motion. “Don’t cry! Did I say something wrong? If I do, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I just wanna know.”

“I… I’ve been waiting for this moment to happen… _for centuries_!” The Child cried hoarsely. “But you don’t really want to die, do you?”

Kyousuke’s face flashed in his mind, along with his friends’, and he shook his head, knowing that he had to be truly honest. “I’m sorry.” He pulled the small body into a hug, tucking the boy’s head under his chin and stroking his back gently. “I really, really am, but I want to live. My friends are waiting for me, I know that.” The Child struggled to be released, so Daisuke did. “Thank you very much, by the way, for showing me everything.”

“You’re so very welcome.” The Child masked his obvious sadness with a laugh. “Just close your eyes, Watanabe-san. Hurry, or Hamao-san will find your dead body.”

Daisuke obliged and he felt himself falling.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> ‘My Dove’ is from Tintin, spoken by General Alcazar to his wife Peggy. I just find it kinda hilarious, and somehow Peggy reminds me to The Headmistress.  
>   
> Yay for not-dead-death experience! I’ve wanted to write down a fight scene where the narrator (Dai) doesn’t take part in. Turns out ok, isn’t it? Or not ok?  
>   
> Thanks for not raiding me with torches when you see Chapter 18. Or are you doing it secretly? Behind my back? ;)  
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	23. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Fight Scenes: An Aftermath

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Updated because I have time after a job interview. Wish me luck? :)))
> 
> What's going on now? Let's see...

Pain.

“Dai-chan! Dai-chan!”

Pain.

Daisuke struggled to open his eyes but it was so painful… but that voice kept calling him… _don’t make that kid worry…_

“He’s awake! Finally!” Another voice he heard almost every day. Daisuke always associated the owner with humor, but he sounded frantic and Daisuke didn’t like it one bit.

So he did his best in opening his eyes, and finally made it. Naito’s familiar ceiling was the first thing he saw. His mind worked so hard to come to the conclusion that _I’m safe I’m alive I’m fine and all is good_. He took a deep breath and the pain dissipated a bit. Maybe he should relax so whatever was hurting him could go away.

“Dai-chan, can you sit up a bit?”

 _Mao_.

That was absolutely his assistant’s voice. Slowly, he rose from the cushions, and felt Kyousuke’s arm holding his back. Something caught his scent, and he realized that Vampire-Wannabe had shoved a glass of retail blood under his nose. That smelled _heavenly_ as he weakly grabbed the glass and started to drink.

“Slowly,” Kyousuke instructed.

The blood was good, much better than Daisuke’s usual stash, and he couldn’t be more grateful. It soothed all the pain, leaving only soreness that could be treated by a good night sleep. He returned the now empty glass to Vampire-Wannabe, who took it with a smile.

“You’re doing well, Dai-chan,” he said happily. “Now I need to check on the others. Just get some rest. Mao-kun here will take care of you.”

Kyousuke glared at him, but Daisuke was too tired to react the way he wanted. Vampire-Wannabe laughed and left the room, which turned out to be Naito’s guest bedroom. Now that Daisuke was feeling better, he could recognize his surroundings. Even though the curtains were closed, he knew the sun was already up. There was no such thing as a _good night sleep_ now, he thought amusedly.

“What time is it now?” he asked.

“Nine-thirty in the morning. You’ve been out for a long time.” Kyousuke glanced at the clock on the wall. “Thirty-three hours, to be precise.”

“I slept for a _day_?”

“ _More_ than a day. Those silver chains almost killed you by draining your energy to a zero, and not to mention that you had a head injury. Naito-kun and I took a long time to break all those silver from you. We even had to ask for his hunter group for help. It’s a miracle that you’re still alive.”

Daisuke smiled weakly. _Sorry for making you worry_. “Indeed it is. Thanks.”

“It’s my pleasure.” Kyousuke smiled back, but he looked much more hopeful. “By the way, can I ask you something?”

“Spill.”

“At some point of your sleep, you mumbled something about our first meeting. Do you remember anything about it? Is that bothering you?”

The Child’s voice suddenly rang inside Daisuke’s head. _“You were walking with Sakurada-san before those vampires abducted him. I was the one there, so if you ask Hamao-san, he will not remember.”_

“What do you remember about our first meeting?” Daisuke asked back.

A sheepish smile crossed Kyousuke’s lips. “You coming with Kinoshita-san, acting all cold and mighty and with a good hairstyle. Why?”

It took a while for Daisuke to respond. “It’s nothing, Mao-kun.”

 _Well. At least he liked my hair_.

* * *

Someone unexpected made a visit a few hours later. Daisuke didn’t know it at first, since Kyousuke made sure he stayed in the guest bedroom the whole day. He knew it was neither Naito nor Vampire-Wannabe, for they had left for fulfilling their schedules. But Doori, surprisingly enough, was the one who made their presence known. His shouting reverberated from the front door to all around the house.

“WHAT ARE YOU TWO DOING HERE?!”

“Doori-kun,” Minami assured. “They just want to check on us.”

“NO WAY I’LL LET THEM IN! THE PRODIGY IS OKAY AND YOU DON’T NEED TO SEE HIM!”

The footsteps continued to be heard in the house regardless what Doori protested, and suddenly the guest bedroom door opened. Kyousuke, who was sitting on the floor not far from Daisuke’s futon, jumped to his feet, alert. Daisuke sat up and when he got clear view of the visitors, he understood why Doori had been screaming his head off earlier.

“Are you feeling better, Daisuke-san?” Yun asked as he knelt on the floor. “We had to alt—I mean put you in a long slumber so your strength can return properly.”

“You altered my mind?” The slip didn’t escape Daisuke’s notice.

“Not like that,” the scientist-lookalike vampire answered from the doorway. He didn’t wear his white coat, and instead wore a shirt and jeans. He looked like a normal person. “We merely put down your mind to sleep for a while so you will not wake up in the middle of recovery. If that counts as a mind-alteration, that is up to you. Rest assured, we haven’t monitored any of your memories.”

“When did you do this?” Kyousuke asked in disbelief.

Yun was the one who answered this time. “When Motomura-san… er, Minami-san was the one taking care of him. When you were asleep, he gave us a call to check on both Daisuke-san and Takiguchi-san. And that kid, too, but he’s doing good.” He turned at Doori, who was still standing on the doorway with anger evident on his face. “Sakurada-kun, why don’t you go to him and play or something?”

“I’m not a kid,” Doori gritted out.

“I’m not saying you are one, but I’m sure he wants to see you.”

“Fine.” With that, he trotted away from the room.

“He’ll come around,” Minami said with a sigh. “Now, please, get back to business.”

“Right. How are you feeling, Daisuke-san?”

Daisuke tilted his head. “Much better. Maybe you two did a right thing by putting me to sleep like that.”

They laughed. “After such a huge fight, taking care of the remaining vampires’ memories is such a fuss,” Yun said lightly, as if he were talking about the weather. “Putting all of them to sleep is a much easier method, and, in my opinion, the best thing to do. If we need to alter their minds, it’s better when they’re unconscious.”

“How’s Takki?” Daisuke inquired curiously.

“The last time we checked on him, he’s doing okay. Needs sleep longer than you do, though. He’s one hell of a new vampire, with that unresponsiveness of his. Keeps acting like a lost puppy, poor guy. We’ve done our best to restore his mind to normal and lower his urges to the minimum, but he’ll need guidance. When they still cannot figure out what the root of their problem is, new vampires can be pretty dangerous.”

“So I’ve figured,” Kyousuke muttered not far from them. Daisuke felt sympathy for him.

Yun stood and joined his companion and Minami on the doorway. “Now that we know you’re better, we should go and check on Takiguchi-san once again before we leave. Nice to meet you, Daisuke-san. It’s not every day that we get to see an ex-Hooligan.”

“I don’t even remember those days.”

“If what I read from all those books was right, it’s good that you don’t.”

“Wait.”

They were going to leave the room when Daisuke called for them. “What is it, Dai-chan?” Minami asked.

“I haven’t known your names. What should I call you?”

“Oh, right.” Yun chuckled. “Since Sakurada-kun’s friend’s joined you, I think we’ll see each other quite often. Both of us, as you’ve known, are called Yuuta. My full name is Yuuta Furukawa, nicknamed Yun, and this is Yuuta Takahashi. You can call him Basshi, if you want to. And the kid we’re supervising, in case you haven’t known yet, has the name Shogo Sakamoto.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> In case you guys don’t know (or haven't guessed) yet, the two Yuutas and The Prodigy are from Seigaku 4th Generation. Furukawa was Fuji, Takahashi was Inui, and Sakamoto was Echizen (a.k.a. The Prodigy, which is the origin of the nickname).  
>   
> For sd4ianto, the outfits are actually a reference to Black Butler's Sebastian (Yun) and of course... Suzuki Takeshi from Takumi-kun 2 for Basshi-san.  
>   
> At first I only want to put Basshi/Shogo as a nod to Amarissia’s DaiMao fic Hatsukoi (posted on FFN), but Yun sounds pretty nice to write down, so there you go.  
>   
> The next chapter is the last one. Thanks for reading this far. 
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


	24. Conversational Feast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> They have dinner. Answers emerge.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter! Thanks for sticking up with me in this Story! At first this is titled ‘The Last Supper’ (also a reference to one episode of Bates Motel) but I don’t think that really fits.  
>   
>   
> Sorry for the long update. It’s been quite a busy/harsh/wonderful/unnerving/exciting/whatever-it-is time for me, so thanks, thanks a lot for your patience! Enjoy!

“Sorry for bringing this up, but there’s one thing I still want to know,” Vampire-Wannabe opened the conversation when they were having dinner later that day. Every single one of them, minus Yun and Basshi, were there, enjoying their meal. Even Takki, Shogo, and Daisuke joined them although Takki still looked rather pale and Daisuke was certain his head was killing him. Despite that, he didn’t want to tell Kyousuke, for a dinner together was better than having one alone in the guest bedroom.

“Hm?” Doori hummed, his mouth full.

“Why did you attack all those people, Takki?”

His question was replied by a long silence. All eyes were directed at the newly-turned vampire, who blinked in surprise. Kyousuke froze and Daisuke couldn’t help but to give him a reassuring look. When it didn’t work, he sneaked his hand and squeezed Kyousuke’s. Daisuke knew the question was inevitable, and that all of them deserved to know, but it was still unnerving.

Takki looked like he wanted to bury himself and never come up again. “I… I don’t know, actually. I didn’t think. All I felt was disappointment.”

“Disappointment?” Naito echoed, confused.

“Yeah. I feel like I’m so disappointed until I attack someone. I don’t understand.”

“Do you remember the day you were turned?” Minami probed.

“Not really, but I remember seeing…” Takki’s eyes stopped on Kyousuke. “…you.”

Kyousuke’s eyes narrowed, and so did Daisuke’s (without him realizing), but Vampire-Wannabe quickly spoke up. “Yeah, yeah, we all know you went to see him. He doesn’t remember much, though, so we’re asking you about this.”

Takki looked stunned. “You don’t remember? Well, to make long story short, I asked him to join my project.”

Minami stared at him, puzzled. “You want Mao-kun to join your project?”

“I don’t remember much from that conversation myself, but I remember you declining. I went home, feeling really down, and… oh.” Realization dawned on him. “I was attacked by someone on my way back. He… he was drunk, reeked of alcohol. I passed out, and when I woke up I’ve turned to a vampire. Took a while to make me realize that.”

“So, you were indeed attacked by a _drunk_ vampire,” Doori clarified, more to himself than anyone else in the room. “But I still don’t understand. What does Mao-kun have to do with those attacks? Why him?”

“I think I know why,” Shogo cut in. “Basshi-san explained it to me once, calling it ‘the root of the problem’. When someone’s under an intense, negative feeling, like sadness or disappointment, and they were turned into a vampire, the sentiment was like the thirst. If they don’t attack the people that remind them to the cause of that emotion, in this case Hamao-san, the thirst will haunt them forever until they get help. At times like this, mind-alteration can help them to control themselves.”

“Understandable,” Minami said, while Doori huffed at his friend. “But you’re okay now, right?”

“I think so,” Takki replied, scratching his head. “I no longer feel that kind of urge anymore. I’m sorry if that caused so much harm, and thanks for protecting me all the way.”

“Nice,” Vampire-Wannabe praised. “Now, let’s talk about something else. Why do you want Mao-kun to join your project?”

Relief washed Takki and he smiled. “Well, he’ll make a good main character or at least a supporting one if he doesn’t want to automatically be under the spotlight. It’s an… anti-mainstream project, but I’d love to see it realized.”

“Maybe you should ask Dai-chan whether he wants to join or not!”

“Me?!” Daisuke shrieked. “Why me?!”

“Because I have an inkling of what Takki has in mind, and you’ll do just _weeeeeelllll_ ,” Vampire-Wannabe said in a sing-song voice, making Daisuke shudder. Whatever he had in mind, it didn’t mean good. “Besides, Mao-kun is his assistant. Do you think Dai-chan should have an idea of what he’ll be doing?”

Takki, however, was eyeing both him and Kyousuke with appreciation. “Yeah. That sounds like a good idea if both of them try out for the audition. Please?”

Kyousuke, to Daisuke’s surprise, suddenly relented. “Well… whatever I said to reject your proposition, Takki-san, is what started this whole mess. So I might give it a try. But please leave Dai-chan out from this. He has his own management to take care of him.”

That made sense, and Daisuke was relieved to be out of whatever project Takki was so adamant to make. The smile on Takki’s face widened. “Fine by me. I’ll keep you updated.”

Daisuke turned to watch his assistant continuing to finish his meal and was strangely proud. Maybe it was time for him to go on stage, to find his own way. It reminded him to the night in the hotel room, when he was considered as a ‘stepping stone’. Maybe he was right. Maybe Daisuke was _indeed_ the stepping stone, and this was the time for Kyousuke to follow his dreams and stand under the spotlight on his own.

Just like what he always wanted.

Kyousuke looked up from his dinner and their eyes met. He smiled, and Daisuke smiled back.

At that exact moment, he found himself not minding Kyousuke’s initial intent of being his assistant.

_This is awesome._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Short, I know, but at least it's FINISHED!!!! It took ages to write down this Story. *does a happy dance*
> 
> Hm. Is Story VIII necessary? *wink to every single readers out there*
> 
> Reviews are much appreciated! ^^


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